Summary: An ideal scaffold design has a nanofibrous structure that can replace the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) until host cells can repopulate and resynthesize a new natural matrix. In this study, chitosan (CS)‐poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) nanofibers with diameters that range from 50 to 150 nm are synthesized successfully by a modified dropping method. Exactly how various carboxylic acid solvents affect the formation of CS‐PAA nanofibrous complex is also discussed. The results show that using adipic acid as a solvent to dissolve CS, adjusting the final pH value of the CS solution to 3, and then dropping the CS solution into the PAA solution at a ratio of 3:1, cause a significant reaction of CS with PAA and the nanofibers are dispersed uniformly. After freeze‐drying, a 3‐D interconnected CS‐PAA nanofibrous scaffold with a fiber diameter that ranges from 50 to 200 nm can be obtained. The CS‐PAA nanofibrous matrix is of particular interest in tissue engineering for controlled drug release and tissue remodeling.Nanofibrous structure via polyion complex formation between chitosan and poly(acrylic acid).imageNanofibrous structure via polyion complex formation between chitosan and poly(acrylic acid).
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