Fabrication of biodegradable facemask layer using polylactic acid: Effect of flowrate on fiber forming properties

The research on biodegradable polymers for facemask applications is on full swing to reduce the environmental impacts caused due to the nonbiodegradable petroleum-based polymers. Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most famous biodegradable polymers, hence fabricating facemask using polylactic acid through electrospinning could provide an effective solution. Among various parameters of electrospinning, flow rate plays a significant role in fiber forming properties of electrospun nanofiber. In this study, the influence of varying flow rate on fiber forming properties were investigated in order to determine the optimum parameters to fabricate uniform PLA nanofibers. The nanofibers produced were characterized for fiber diameter, thickness and surface morphology and were compared with the commercial facemask. It was found that the flow rate of 1.5 mL/h provides uniform fiber diameter, thickness and surface morphology which can provide better protection similar to that of a commercial facemask.