Bacterial polyhydroxybutyrate for electrospun fiber production.

Nano- and microfibers obtained by electrospinning have attracted great attention due to its versatility and potential for applications in diverse technological fields. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biopolymers synthesized by microorganisms such as the bacterium Burkholderia xenovorans LB400. In particular, LB400 cells are capable to synthesize poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) from glucose. The aim of this study was to produce and characterize electrospun fibers obtained from bacterial PHBs. Bacterial strain LB400 was grown in M9 minimal medium using xylose and mannitol (10gL) as the sole carbon sources and NHCl (1gL) as the sole nitrogen source. Biopolymer-based films obtained were used to produce fibers by electrospinning. Diameter and morphology of the microfibers were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their thermogravimetric properties were investigated. Bead-free fibers using both PHBs were obtained with diameters of less than 3μm. The surface morphology of the microfibers based on PHBs obtained from both carbon sources was different, even though their thermogravimetric properties are similar. The results indicate that the carbon source may determine the fiber structure and properties. Further studies should be performed to analyze the physicochemical and mechanical properties of these PHB-based microfibers, which may open up novel applications.