Abstract
•This work suggested the efficient use of MWCNTs to impart high mechanical properties to nanofibers and while maintaining the toxicity of the materials.•The mechanical properties of the nanofibers can be improved by introducing 2% of MWCNTs, above this point the mechanical property is reduced in nanofibers fabricated from Tecoflex® EG 80A.•The presence of MWCNTs in the nanofibers reflecting the successful electrospining event can be ascertained by FT-IR, Raman, and TEM.•The nanofibers obtained while introducing MWCNTs represent no toxic behavior to cultured fibroblast.
The present study discusses the design, development, and characterization of electrospun Tecoflex® EG 80A class of polyurethane nanofibers and the incorporation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to these materials. Scanning electron microscopy results confirmed the presence of polymer nanofibers, which showed a decrease in fiber diameter at 0.5% wt. and 1% wt. MWCNTs loadings, while transmission electron microscopy showed evidence of the MWCNTs embedded within the polymer matrix. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to elucidate the polymer-MWCNTs intermolecular interactions, indicating that the C–N and N–H bonds in polyurethanes are responsible for the interactions with MWCNTs. Furthermore, tensile testing indicated an increase in the Young's modulus of the nanofibers as the MWCNTs concentration was increased. Finally, NIH 3T3 fibroblasts were seeded on the obtained nanofibers, demonstrating cell biocompatibility and proliferation. Therefore, the results indicate the successful formation of polyurethane nanofibers with enhanced mechanical properties, and demonstrate their biocompatibility, suggesting their potential application in biomedical areas.