Polystyrene bioactive nanofibers using orange oil as an ecofriendly solvent

Abstract

ABSTRACT Solution blow spun polystyrene (PS) nanofibers were produced from 20 to 30 wt % PS solutions using toluene (industrial solvent) and orange oil (green solvent). The latter being composed of d ‐limonene (97.06%) as determined by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. The rheological behavior and volatility of the solvents and polymer solutions were correlated with fiber morphology, accessed by scanning electron microscopy. Thermal analysis was used to determine the thermal behavior of fibers. The antimicrobial activity of orange oil was tested for potential applications of the spun mats in active food packaging. Results showed that the nanofibers spun from orange oil solutions had average diameters of 306 ± 74 nm as opposed to 441 ± 110 nm for toluene. Moreover, when compared with fiber spun from toluene solutions, orange oil yielded more flexible fibers with slightly lower contact angles and better antimicrobial properties due to the presence of residual oil confirmed by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47337.