Preparation of PLA/PEG@SDS microfibers‐based nonwovens via melt‐blown process parameters: Wound dressings with enhanced water wetting performance

Abstract

AbstractPolylactic acid (PLA) melt‐blown nonwovens are promising materials for medical and healthcare applications due to their properties such as softness, breathability, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. However, their widespread commercial application has been limited by their poor mechanical properties and insufficient hydrophilicity limit. To address these limitations, we prepared polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol@sodium dodecyl sulfate (PLA/PEG@SDS) microfibers‐based nonwovens using a melt‐blown process. The average fiber diameter of PLA/PEG@SDS microfibers nonwovens could be tuned from 1 to 13.9 μm by regulating the die temperature or hot air pressure. In addition, increasing the die temperature from 210°C to 225°C resulted in a 140.3% and 124.8% increase in the breaking resistance along the mechanical direction (MD) and transverse direction (CD), respectively. Meanwhile, the increase in the breaking resistance was observed between the hot air pressure and the mechanical strength of the PLA/PEG@SDS microfibers‐based nonwovens. Notably, the prepared samples exhibited a short wetting time of 3.438 s, a fast water absorption rate of 68.401%·s−1, and an excellent liquid water diffusion of 5.86 mm s−1. These results suggest that the PLA/PEG@SDS microfibers nonwovens prepared using melt‐blown process demonstrate efficient wetting performance, which paves the way for the industrial production of medical‐grade materials such as wound dressings.