Preparation of electrospun oxidized cellulose mats and their in vitro degradation behavior

This paper investigated the effect of biodegradation behavior on the oxidation of cellulose nanofiber mats. The cellulose mats were produced through electrospinning. The diameter of an electrospun fiber varied from 90 to 240 nm depending on the electrospinning parameters, such as the solution concentration, needle diameter, and rotation speed of a grounded collector. Oxidized cellulose (OC) mats containing different carboxyl contents were prepared using NO ₂ as an oxidant. The total carboxyl content of the cellulose nanofiber mats obtained after oxidation for 20 h was 20.6%. The corresponding carboxyl content was important from a commercial point of view because OC containing 16-24% carboxyl content are used widely in the medical field as a form of powder or knitted fabric. Degradation tests of the OC mats were performed at 37°C in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4). Microscopy techniques were introduced to study the morphological properties and the degradation behavior of the OC mats. Morphological changes of the mats were visualized using optical microscopy. Within 4 days of exposure to PBS, the weight loss of the OC mats was >90%.