In this work, we have proven that starch nanofibrous membranes with high tensile strength, water stability and non-cytotoxicity can be produced by electrospinning of starch solution and post -treatment with GTA in vapor phase. GTA vapor phase crosslinking plays a key role in forming water -stable nanofiber membrane and improving the mechanical properties. Comparing with non-crosslinked starch fibers, the crosslinked fibers are increased by nearly 10 times in tensile strength. The crosslinked starch fibrous membranes are non-cytotoxic. They may find applications in the fields of tissue engineering, pharmaceutical therapy and medical. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.