EMULSION ELECTROSPINNING OF POLYVINYLPYRROLIDONE (PVP)/PARACETAMOL NANOFIBERS

This study aimed to achieve Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofiber production including paracetamol (PCT) by oil-in-water emulsion electrospinning. At first, emulsions were prepared at 14 wt % PVP with various PCT concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9 wt %). Then, solution properties such as viscosity, conductivity, and surface tension were determined. The production of nanofiber samples was carried out by emulsion electrospinning under the optimum process parameters (voltage, distance between electrodes, feed rate, and atmospheric conditions). Finally, the morphological and structural characterization of the nanofiber surface was carried out with SEM and FT-IR. According to the results of emulsion properties, although the change is not remarkable, it tends to increase the viscosity with an increase in PCT concentration. On the other hand, it was observed that surface tension did not change significantly with PCT concentration increasement and while the conductivity of emulsions decreased slightly. When the fibre structure was investigated, average fibre diameter and fibre diameter uniformity were not affected prominently by PCT concentration. From the SEM images, it is possible to say that generally fine, uniform and bead-free drug-loaded nanofibers were obtained. The finest (326 nm) and most uniform (1.03) nanofibers were achieved from the sample N4 which included 0.5 wt % PCT. Also, the FT-IR results verified that PVP and PCT exist in the nanofiber structure.