Electrospinning of chitosan derivative nanofibers with structural stability in an aqueous environment

We report a simple method to produce stable chitosan derivative nanofibers via electrospinning. A chitosan solution with lactate salt was electrospun to produce nanofibers, followed by thermal treatment to enhance fiber stability. Chemical and morphological analyses demonstrated that the resulting nanofibers were crosslinked via amidation between chitosan and lactate salt. These fibers exhibited sustained morphological and structural stabilities to serve as a scaffold for biomedical applications. © 2011 the Owner Societies.