Engineering Commons^™

Crosslinking Poly(Allylamine) Fibers Electrospun From Basic And Acidic Solutions, Jessica D. Schiffman, Marjorie A. Kiechel, Amalie E. Donius, Ulrike G. K. Wegst, Caroline L. Schauer

Jessica D. Schiffman

Mechanically robust, non-toxic polymer fiber mats are promising materials for a range of biomedical applications; however, further research into enhancing polymer selection is needed. In this study, poly(allylamine) (PAH), an amine-containing polyelectrolyte, was successfully electrospun from aqueous solutions into continuous, cylindrical fibers with a mean diameter of 150 ± 41 nm. A one-step crosslinking method using glutaraldehyde provides insight into the chemical and morphological changes that result from altering the molar ratio of amine to aldehyde groups, whereas a two-step crosslinking method yielded chemically and mechanically robust mats. These results indicate PAH fibrous mats synthesized from aqueous solutions could potentially …