Facile Fabrication of Chemically Modified Sodium Alginate Fibers With Enhanced Mechanical Performance

Sodium alginate fibers have been extensively studied due to being non-toxic and have high moisture retention, high oxygen permeability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. However, their application has been limited due to their poor mechanical performance. In this study, poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether-modified sodium alginate fibers were prepared by spinning the solution after mixed reactions through a spinneret into a coagulation bath containing aqueous CaCl2. The properties of the spinning solution, the structure and physical properties of the modified sodium alginate fibers with various poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether contents were investigated. A poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether content of the modified sodium alginate fibers of 15 wt% gave optimal breaking strength and elongation at break, improving them by 78 % and 114 %, respectively, compared with pure sodium alginate fibers. The thermal stability of the modified sodium alginate fibers was also improved.