Solution‐blown nylon 6–chitosan core–shell nanofiber for highly efficient affinity adsorption

A facile spinning-based strategy was developed to fabricate chitosan (CS) surface nanofiber-based affinity membranes for protein adsorption. The core–shell nanofiber mat of nylon 6–CS was prepared via coaxial solution blowing process. The nanofibers have a diameter range of 60–300 nm. The core–shell structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, and CS was observed as a thin layer that uniformly adhered to the core. The dye ligand of cibacron blue F3GA (CB F3GA) was further covalently immobilized on the nanofibers with a content of 425 µmol/g. The pristine and CB F3GA-attached mats were studied in protein adsorption. High bovine serum albumin adsorption capacities of 91.9 and 219.6 mg/g were obtained for pristine and CB F3GA-attached mats, respectively. Given its properties of high flux rate and low pressure drop, CB F3GA-attached nylon 6–CS nanofiber mat meets the requirements of highly effective affinity membrane chromatography. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.