Electrospun recycled PET-based mats: Tuning the properties by addition of cellulose and/or lignin

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cellulose and/or lignin on the properties of mats prepared from dissolution (for 48 h or 72 h, solvent: trifluoroacetic acid) of recycled poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Briefly, the presence of cellulose led to a tendency of higher average fiber diameter and average pore area as well as lower average porosity compared to the neat mat (PETref, 242 ± 59 nm, 9.6 ± 1.1 104 nm2 and 19.0 ± 1.1%, respectively). The Tg values for electrospun PET combined with cellulose and/or lignin were higher than that of PETref (92.5 ± 0.1 °C), and the tensile strength increased with the cellulose and/or lignin loading. In addition, the presence of lignin (72 h of dissolution) led to a mat with an elongation at break of 149 ± 9% compared to 14 ± 2% for PETref. The results indicated that the properties of mats based on PET can be tuned by adding cellulose and/or lignin to solutions posteriorly electrospun as well as by varying the dissolution time.