Modified electrospun polymer nanofibers as affinity membranes: The effect of pre-spinning modification versus post-spinning modification

• SMA was surface-modified after electrospinning with a suitable modification agent.
• SMA was bulk-modified with the same modification agent and electrospun.
• BCG was captured onto the surface of surface- and bulk-modified polymer nanofibers.
• Modification agent used for surface- and bulk-modification played dominant role.
• Modification method used did not affect BCG capture effectivity of the nanofibers.

This paper presents a comparison between the effectivity of 2 different polymer nanofiber modification methods. Poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (SMA) was bulk-modified before electrospinning and SMA nanofibers were surface-modified after electrospinning with identical chemical moieties. These nanofibrous mats, prepared using different synthetic routes, were compared in their use as affinity membranes for micro-organisms, specifically BCG. Characterization of the modified poly(styrene-co-maleimide) (SMI) and its modified nanofibers were done using ATR-FTIR, SEM, 1H NMR and 13C NMR, and fluorescence microscopy was used to measure the interaction between the micro-organisms (BCG) and the surfaces of the modified polymer nanofibers. The results indicated that the modification method used to prepare the modified polymer nanofibers did not influence the outcome of the affinity studies with regard to the effectivity of the modified nanofibers as a BCG-capturing platform. The modification agent used for the modification of the polymer nanofibers played the most important role and not the method used for the modification.

FM image of the washed nanofibers after incubation with BCG at 37 °C and pH 2 for 1 h.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide