Fabrication and characterization of thiophanate methyl/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex nanofibers by electrospinning

Thiophanate methyl/hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (TM/HP β CD) inclusion complex nanofibers were prepared using electrospinning. The FT-IR, 1H NMR and XRD spectra manifested that TM entered the cavity of HP β CD, which confirmed the formation of the TM/HP β CD inclusion complex. The TGA results indicated that the thermostability of the TM/HP β CD nanofibers was higher than that of the original TM, and the phase-solubility test demonstrated that the inclusion of HP β CD promoted the water solubility of TM. The morphology analysis proved that beadless and homogeneous nanofibers were successfully elesctrospun. Moreover, the dissolution behavior demonstrated the fast-dissolving character of the TM/HP β CD nanofibers. Molecular modeling showed the effective binding of host and guest molecules. In addition, the TM/HP β CD nanofibers showed better antifungal activity than the original TM. In brief, the fabrication of inclusion complex nanofibers could enhance the dissolvability in water, thermostability and fungicidal activity of TM, which exhibited potential in reducing the environmental damage caused by TM and offered an environmentally safe process for the application of TM.