Assessment of material blending distribution for electrospun nanofiber membrane by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopy and image cluster analysis

• Modified cluster analysis for material spatial study within matrix of composite electrospun nanofibers.
• Polysaccharide electrospun composite development for medical application.
• Non-destructive technique was used to enable fast and low-cost product optimization.

Electrospun nanofibers between starch and polyethylene oxide were successfully prepared to be used as a template for wound healing application. Material blending ratios and fabrication conditions were optimized to determine the ability to control material spatial for further development. A fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) mapping system and purposed modified image clustering analysis were adopted to evaluate the material homogeneity of a sheet of homogeneous composite nanofibers. The fabrication conditions and material blending ratios both have an influence on the material distribution and optimum points were observed from this technique. This study showed the possibility of using a quick and non-destructive technique and a modified image cluster analysis technique to evaluate the homogeneity of the electrospun nanofiber sheet.