Preparation and Characterization of Polymeric Microfibers of PLGA and PLGA/PPy Composite Fabricated by Solution Blow Spinning

Abstract

In this study, microfibers of poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and PLGA/polypyrrole (PPy) composite (90/10 wt%) are produced by using the solution blow spinning (SBS) technique. PPy is synthesized by the oxidative polymerization method using p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TSA) as the dopant and FeCl 3 as the oxidant. The prepared PPy showed microfibers with globular particles morphology. Mixtures of porous and nonporous microfibers and microfibers incorporated with PPy are obtained. A wettability test shows that the PLGA and PLGA/PPy fibrous mats are hydrophobic. The electrical conductivity of the PLGA/PPy composite is of the same order as that of pure PLGA (≈10 −10 S cm −1 ), indicating that the electrical percolation threshold is not reached for PPy loading of 10 wt%. The incorporation of PPy into PLGA microfibers improved the thermal stability of the composite and also increases the PLGA crystalline phase.