Electrospun Keratin/Polyvinyl Alcohol Regenerated Fibers Part 1: Preliminary Study

Keratinous materials, namely, coarse wool or feather, were dissolved in mixture of alkali metal hydroxide or alkaline earth metal hydroxide in the presence of swelling and reducing agents. The obtained soluble keratin was mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) before being electro-spun into fibers. The protein content of the obtained composite was determined using Bradford method. Keratin/PVA (K/PVA) fibers were plasticized using aliphatic triol and cross-linked using bi-functional aldehyde. The amino acid composition in K/PVA regenerated fibers was determined. The change in the morphological structure of the said fibers relative to the starting native substrate was assigned using scanning electron microscopy. Results of this investigation clarify that the proposed method of dissolution and regeneration of keratin is suitable to obtain regenerated keratinous fibers with outstanding resistance to moth larvae attack.