Wet-Spun Zein/PVA Blended Fibers with High Strength and Dyeing Performance for Sustainable Textiles

To solve the problem of white pollution and petroleum energy consumption, zein/PVA blended fibers were prepared by wet-spinning technology to replace petroleum-based synthetic fibers. Zein has the environmentally friendly and resource-abundant characteristics, but its low viscosity makes it difficult to process via wet-spinning. By enabling the successful wet-spinning of inherently poorly spinnable zein, the introduction of PVA yielded blended fibers that retained more than 81% of the zein content. The zein/PVA blended fibers exhibit a maximum tensile strength of 32.38 MPa, a maximum elongation at break of 561.80%, a moisture regain of 4%, and a dye-uptake rate of 59.68%. This work lays the foundation for using zein/PVA blended fibers as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based synthetic fibers in the textile industry.