Electrospun polystyrene fibers containing high temperature stable volatile fragrance/flavor facilitated by cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

In this study, we report on electrospinning of functional polystyrene (PS) fibers containing cyclodextrin-menthol inclusion complexes (CD-menthol-ICs). Our goal is to develop functional electrospun fibers containing fragrances/flavors with enhanced durability and stability assisted by cyclodextrin inclusion complexation. We have used menthol as a model fragrance/flavor material and CD-menthol-ICs were incorporated in electrospun PS fiber by using three types of CDs; α-CD, β-CD and γ-CD. Due to complexation of menthol with CDs, we observed that the stabilization of menthol was achieved up to 350 °C for all the PS/CD-menthol-IC webs whereas the PS fibers without the CD complex could not preserve volatile menthol molecules. In addition, γ-CD was more effective for the stabilization and release of menthol at a broad temperature range (100-350 °C) when compared to α-CD and β-CD. This study suggested that the electrospun fibers functionalized with CD-ICs are very effective for enhancing the temperature stability of volatile fragrances/flavors and therefore show potentials for the development of functional fibrous materials.