Surfactant Molecular Properties Control Location in Emulsion Electrospun Fibers and Dictate Resulting Fiber Properties

Emulsion electrospinning is a versatile technique to generate nonwoven fibrous meshes. Using surfactants to reduce surface tension at the needle tip and interfacial tension between continuous and dispersed phases in an emulsion modifies final fiber characteristics critical for performance in drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. This study aimed to investigate the role of nonionic surfactant location and modulation of surface and interfacial tension during the electrospinning process on resulting fiber properties. Bulk visual analysis of emulsion stability, fiber morphology and diameter, and wettability of final mesh was assessed. Polyglycerol polyricenoleate (PGPR) demonstrated highest emulsion stability. All other surfactants decreased fiber diameter. Mesh wettability increased with surfactant addition and was further modulated in emulsions. Overall, results demonstrated that surfactant molecular properties including hydrophobic–lipophilic balance (HLB) value and partition coefficient (logP) can be used as predictors to determine surfactant location and dictate fiber properties in single phase and emulsion electrospinning systems.