Characterization of an air‐spun poly(L‐lactic acid) nanofiber mesh

Abstract

It was previously showed that PLLA nanofiber mesh promoted good endothelial cell proliferation. A new technique was developed to produce nanofibers by air jet spinning inside the tubular shape of vascular prostheses and to characterize this nanofiber mesh. Polymer macromolecule stability was assessed by gel permeation chromatography. Thermal analyses were conducted with differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis on PLLA nanofibers obtained with 4% and 7% solutions (w/v) in chloroform. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was also treated with atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge under air or nitrogen atmosphere to optimize PLLA nanofiber adherence, assessed by peel tests. Air spinning induced a reduction of number-average molecular weight (M(n)) for the 7% PLLA solution but not for the 4% solution. The nanofibers were more crystalline and less sensible to viscoelastic relaxation as a function of aging in the 4% solution than in the 7% solution. Discharge treatment of the PET promoted identical surface modification on PET film and PET textile surfaces. Moreover, the best PLLA nanofibers adhesion results were obtained under nitrogen atmosphere. This study demonstrates that it is possible to coat the internal side of tubular vascular prostheses with PLLA nanofibers, and provides a better understanding of the air spinning process as well as optimizing nanofibers adhesion.

Evaluation of an air spinning process to produce tailored biosynthetic nanofibre scaffolds

“…Our research group developed an alternative and innovative method for the spinning of nanofibers to coat vascular prostheses which is impossible with a conventional electrospinning device [22]. We also demonstrated the biocompatibility of PLA air-spun nanofiber scaffolds with endothelial cells [7].…”

“…To address this issue, we developed an alternative device, called air spinning which involves the stretching of a polymer solution under high-speed air flow. This technique was introduced by our group in 2008 [7] and has been continuously upgraded for the coating of tubular shapes [22].…”

Design, Degradation Mechanism and Long‐Term Cytotoxicity of Poly(l‐lactide) and Poly(Lactide‐co‐ϵ‐Caprolactone) Terpolymer Film and Air‐Spun Nanofiber Scaffold

“…Although, the electrospinning process presents significant advantages, it cannot be easily used to coat small diameter vascular prostheses because of the short distance separating the needle and the surface that is intended to receive the fibers and the discontinuous textile shape of the vascular prosthesis which impedes building‐up appropriate electrostatic field gradient, full jet development and solvent evaporation. To address to this issue, an alternative spinning device, called air‐spinning, has been introduced by our group and is continuously improved since 2008 to coat the internal surface of vascular prostheses.…”

Tailoring the Surface Properties of Micro/Nanofibers Using 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D Nanostructures: A Review on Post‐Modification Methods

“…Solution blow spinning (SBS) [ 56,76,77 ] involves the use of pressurized gas that acts as a driving force as well as promotes solvent evaporation to form fibers from a polymer solution continuously extruded through a nozzle, as illustrated in Figure 1b. [ 9 ] SBS and their variations are also called air spinning or air‐jet spinning, [ 78,79 ] solution blowing, [ 80,81 ] gas jet spinning, [ 82 ] airbrushing, [ 83 ] and pressure‐driven spinning. [ 84 ] During the SBS process, the gas pressure is converted into kinetic energy and generates a shearing force that results in the deformation of the droplet of polymer solution at the tip of the nozzle, leading to the formation of a cone‐like shape.…”