The idea is to develop a method of spinning starch in fibers, which will lead to inexpensive paper products and biodegradable bandages.
Starch is the cheapest and most abundant of the polymers, but becomes a thick paste when it contacts water. To counteract this effect, it is possible to add a solvent to the starch to enable it to be dissolved in a fluid without losing its molecular structure. An electrospinning device will overcome surface tension and allow the starch to be stretched into strands that will then be woven into a bandage or paper product.
The technique could be used to make medical dressings that degrade into harmless glucose, eliminating the need to remove the bandage at all.
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