FIBROUS SCAFFOLDS BASED ON POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, CHITOSAN AND POLYCAPROLACTONE: OPTIMIZATION OF FABRICATION PARAMETERS AND PROPERTIES

10.25712/ASTU.1811-1416.2026.02.002

Abstract

In this work, the optimization of electrospinning parameters for aqueous solutions of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), water-acetic acid-based solutions containing PVA and chitosan, as well as core-shell scaffolds based on polycaprolactone (PCL) and PVA was carried out along with investigation of their physicochemical properties. It has been established that adding chitosan to the spinning solution leads to a decrease in fiber diameter from 0.61 μm to 0.15 μm compared to pure PVA, while ensuring more uniform distribution of fibers. The formation of a coaxial «core-shell» structure increases polymer consumption, resulting in thicker fibers up to 1.62 μm. Hydrogen bond formation between functional groups of PVA and chitosan significantly improves hydrophilic surface properties of composite scaffolds by enhancing wettability. Furthermore, IR spectroscopy analysis revealed a dense outer layer of PCL effectively protecting the inner PVS core in coaxial PCL-PVS samples. These findings highlight significant scientific contribution made through optimizing technological parameters of electrospinning process for composite scaffolds based on PVA/chitosan system and coaxial structures composed of PCL/PVS, opening new perspectives for further research in medical materials science.