Centrifugally spun starch/polyvinyl alcohol ultrafine fibrous membrane as environmentally-friendly disposable nonwoven

We developed a new environmentally-friendly disposable nonwoven based on centrifugally spun ST/PVA ultrafine fibrous membrane in this research. The effects of ST/PVA ratio as well as formic acid post-treatment on thermal properties, tensile strength, and disposability of fibrous membranes were studied. To observe the morphology and chemical structures changing of fibers during fabrication and post-treatment, the obtained fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The fibrous membranes with uniform fiber diameters and excellent disposability properties were formed. The ST/PVA ratio of fibers was optimized according to the disposability and tensile strength of the fibrous membranes. Disintegration of untreated and post-treatment fibrous membrane with ST/PVA ratio of 3/1 was over 80% and 40%, respectively, and the tensile strength was improved over two times comparing with pure starch fibrous membrane.