Characterization of electrospun poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) fibers

Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) is an interesting material in that it shows a thermoresponsive behavior around 32 °C in aqueous solutions. This behavior mimics that of many proteins in solution and as a result, many researchers have studied pNIPAM as a model for protein behavior. Yet, little is known about the processability of pNIPAM into three-dimensional matrices and whether such processing affects polymer conformation. In this work, 3D fibrous mats of pNIPAM were prepared by electrospinning from three different solvents and the resulting morphologies evaluated. Additionally, electrospun pNIPAM was evaluated with polarized Raman and infrared spectroscopies and compared against the spectra of the bulk material. It was found that the electrospinning process did not alter the polymer structure or morphology.