Influence of collagen hydrolysate components on fabrication of collagen/PVA composite fiber

Abstract

In order to prepare a collagen/PVA composite fiber with collagen hydrolysate, the influence of the molecular weight and ash content of the collagen hydrolysate on the spinning properties and fabrication of the composite fiber should be studied. In this work, collagen with various molecular weights and different ash contents was first blended with PVA for fabrication of different collagen/PVA composite fibers. Next, protein retention rates, titer, tensile strength, elongation at break, and initial modulus of the composite fibers were characterized. Meanwhile, the degree of crystallinity of the composite fiber was measured by X-ray diffraction and the cross-section morphology was observed by a scanning electron microscope. The results show that the cross section of the collagen/PVA composite fiber has a skin-core structure and the collagen hydrolysate mainly distributes on the surface of the composite fiber. A molecular weight of collagen hydrolysate range from 10,000 Da to 100,000 Da is suitable for fabrication; however, if the collagen hydrolysate molecular weight is lower than 10,000 Da, there is obvious protein loss during spinning. In addition, the inorganic salt and ash content in the spinning collagen hydrolysate should be controlled below 1.5%, otherwise there are some holes on the cross section of the collagen/PVA composite fiber and the mechanical properties and crystallinity of the composite fiber are poor. The results of this research would provide a potential choice for applying collagen hydrolysate in textiles and could be a reference for selecting the proper collagen hydrolysate to obtain collagen/PVA composite fiber materials with better performances.