Advances in Electrospun Hybrid Nanofibers for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Electrospun hybrid nanofibers, based on functional agents immobilized in polymeric matrix, possess a unique combination of collective properties. These are beneficial for a wide range of applications, which include theranostics, filtration, catalysis, and tissue engineering, among others. The combination of functional agents in a nanofiber matrix offer accessibility to multifunctional nanocompartments with significantly improved mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties, along with better biocompatibility and biodegradability. This review summarizes recent work performed for the fabrication, characterization, and optimization of different hybrid nanofibers containing varieties of functional agents, such as laser ablated inorganic nanoparticles (NPs), which include, for instance, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and titanium nitride nanoparticles (TiNPs), perovskites, drugs, growth factors, and smart, inorganic polymers. Biocompatible and biodegradable polymers such as chitosan, cellulose, and polycaprolactone are very promising macromolecules as a nanofiber matrix for immobilizing such functional agents. The assimilation of such polymeric matrices with functional agents that possess wide varieties of characteristics require a modified approach towards electrospinning techniques such as coelectrospinning and template spinning. Additional focus within this review is devoted to the state of the art for the implementations of these approaches as viable options for the achievement of multifunctional hybrid nanofibers. Finally, recent advances and challenges, in particular, mass fabrication and prospects of hybrid nanofibers for tissue engineering and biomedical applications have been summarized.

Electrohydrodynamic Techniques for the Manufacture and/or Immobilization of Vesicles

“…Electrospinning technology is a well-known electrohydrodynamic process that has attracted huge attention as a powerful and versatile processing technique for producing electrospun nanofibrous non-woven scaffolds/membranes [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Originally studied as a technology for drawing nanofibers from polymer solutions, the electrospinning process can be extended to obtain polymer-based nanocomposites, ceramic nanofibers, solid-to-porous nanofibers, solid-to-hollow nanofibers, as well as random to uniaxially aligned nanofibers [ 26 , 27 ].…”

Electrospun hybrid nanofibers: Fabrication, characterization, and biomedical applications

“…These functional agents include inorganic/organic NPs, biomolecules (e.g., growth factors, hormones, and nucleic acid), drug molecules, etc. The immobilization of various functional moieties in nanofiber matrix can considerably improve mechanical, physicochemical, and biological properties ( Foraida et al, 2017 ; Nirwan et al, 2022 ).…”

Effect of thermal treatments and UV radiation on green soy protein isolated crosslinked electrospun mats

“…The development of polymer-based electrospun scaffolds has attracted interest in many bionanotechnological applications due to the unique combination of large surface-to-volume ratio, high porosity, pore interconnectivity as well as tunable topography, and morphology. [1][2][3][4] In addition, in the last years a vast variety of synthetic and natural polymers (mainly collagen, silk fibroin, and chitosan), their blends, and nanocomposites with ceramics or metals have been processed by electrohydrodynamic techniques. Plant-derived proteins are inexpensive, and they are being studied because of their biodegradability, hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and tailorable properties.…”