Electrospinning of Lignocellulose Nanofibers from Dissolved Jute

Abstract

Regenerating jute into high-tech nanofibers is an alternative way to use jute fibers. In this work, trifluoro acetic acid (TFA) was used as a solvent to dissolve jute fibers for fabricating nanofibers via electrospinning. Nanofibers from raw jute (JNFs) and treated jute fibers (TJNFs) were successfully fabricated from a needle-based electrospinning unit, and electrospinning parameters, such as polymer concentration, flow rate, and applied voltage, were investigated. The morphology of the electrospun JNFs and TJNFs was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their chemical structure by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. To understand the thermal stability and decomposition behavior, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the electrospun nanofibers was performed. SEM analysis showed there are no significant difference in surface morphology between JNFs and TJNFs. The TGA results confirmed that the as-spun nanofibers have excellent thermal stability which makes them less prone to degradation. This work provides insights into converting jute fibers into high-performance nanofibers.

Keywords

• jute
• nanofiber
• electrospinning
• characterization