Bicomponent nanofibers of N-carboxyethylchitosan (CECh) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were obtained by electrospinning of mixed aqueous solutions. The electrospinning of CECh-containing nanofibers was enabled by the ability of PVA to form an elastically deformable entanglement network based on hydrogen bonds. The average diameters of the bicomponent fibers were in the range 100-420 nm. Water-resistant nanofibrous mats were obtained by thermal crosslinking at 100 degrees C for 10 h. Nanofibrous materials with 1D-, 1D-transversery or 3D fiber alignment were obtained depending on the type of the collector used. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.