Centrifugally spun starch-based fibers from amylopectin rich starches

Centrifugal spinning and electrospinning have proved to be effective techniques for fabricating micro-to-nanofibers. However, starches of amylopectin content above 65% cannot be fabricated to fiber by electrospinning. This paper is focus on the centrifugal spinnability of amylopectin rich starches. We investigated the amylopectin content of starches by Dual-wavelength colorimetry, studied the rheological properties of starch dopes to determine entanglement concentration ( c e ) by rotary rheometer. Results indicated that amylopectin rich native corn and potato starches, which with amylopectin content higher than 65%, were suitable for centrifugal spinning to micro-to-nanofibers. Additionally, starch-based fibers were successfully fabricated from the amylose rich corn starch as well. Rheological studies showed that the entanglement concentration ( c e ) of starch solution was crucial for successful centrifugal spinning.