Exploring Waste Wool Derived-Keratin Nanofiber Architectures on Cotton Fabrics: Electrospinning Strategies for Enhanced Material Properties

This work introduces an approach to creating environmentally friendly protective clothing using waste wool to produce a biodegradable and biocompatible alternative, turning environmental problems into biomedical solutions. Utilizing chemically reduced-wool keratin (KerSH), extracted from waste wool through a mild chemical reduction, blended with biocompatible gelatin and poly(2-ethyl 2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) or its hydrolyzed product poly(2-ethyl 2-oxazoline-co polyethylene imine) (PEtOx-co-PEI), it was aimed to enhance cotton fabrics with polymeric nanowebs via electrospinning. This modification provides various morphologies, including hybrid, Janus, and core-shell structures, tailored by adjusting the solvent, polymer ratios, and electrospinning conditions. The resultant nanofibrous coatings were comprehensively characterized using ATR-FTIR, 1H-NMR, SEM, optical microscopy, and contact-angle measurements to assess their structure and properties. Consequently, this study offers a keratin-derived nanofibrous composite with potential uses in biomedical substrates such as filtration systems, biocompatible meshes, and materials for reusable surgical masks.