Naturally abundant, rice flour represents a special type of mechanically-robust and chemically-active renewable biodegradable and biocompatible material. However, fabrication of rice flour-based functional nanostructures has been challenging due to the difficulties in fine-tuning solution parameters as from its inherent semi-crystalline nature. The objective of the present work is to develop nanofibrous membranes from rice flour for high efficiency filtration. We successfully show fabrication of rice-flour based nanofibers containing PVA by simply allowing immaculate rice flour and PVA to solubilize in alkaline conditions prior to electrospinning (Woranuch et al. <i>RSC Adv.,</i> 2017, 7, 19960-19966; Thai patent application number 1701001836). Specifically, rice flour/PVA blend nanofibers at the rice flour weight content of 25% reveals an optimal condition with reinforced hydrogen bonding between the two polymers as unveiled by the blue shift of hydroxyl groups’ 3290 wavenumber under FTIR. The interaction induces enhanced processability evidenced by 35% increase in viscosity of the spinning precursor solution and fiber formation with high uniformity as observed under SEM. From structure-property study via XRD and DSC, rice flour functions as a nucleating agent, promoting 38% crystallinity constituted from 4.29-nm PVA crystals, resulting in 23% and 19% increases in tensile strength and Young's modulus, respectively, in comparison with PVA nanofibers. This is for the first time showing not only the transformation of rice flour <i>via</i> a water-based system into mechanically robust nanofibers, but also the role of rice flour in inducing crystalline phase in semi-crystalline polymers in blends. The finding is important to bring in unprecedented practical applications for rice flour, where nanostructural functions, mechanical strength and biodegradability are concurrent prerequisites.

Development of nanofibrous membranes from rice flour for high efficiency filtration: Structure-property study

256th National Meeting (2018)

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