Comparative Studies of Electrospinning and Solution Blow Spinning Processes for the Production of Nanofibrous Poly(L-Lactic Acid) Materials for Biomedical Engineering

Abstract

Comparative statistical analysis of the infl uence of processing parameters, for electrospinning (ES) and solution blow spinning (SBS) processes, on nanofi brous poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) material morphology and average fi ber diameter was conducted in order to identify the key processing parameter for tailoring the product properties. Further, a comparative preliminary biocompatibility evaluation was performed. Based on Design of Experiment (DOE) principles, analysis of standard effects of voltage, air pressure, solution feed rate and concentration, on nanofi bers average diameter was performed with the Pareto's charts and the best fi tted surface charts. Nanofi bers were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The preliminary biocompatibility comparative tests were performed based on SEM microphotographs of CP5 cells cultured on materials derived from ES and SBS. Polymer solution concentration was identifi ed as the key parameter infl uencing morphology and dimensions of nanofi brous mat produced from both techniques. In both cases, when polymer concentration increases the average fi ber diameter increase. The preliminary biocompatibility test suggests that nanofi bers produced by ES as well as SBS are suitable as the biomedical engineering scaffold material.

Blow-assisted multi-jet electrospinning of poly-L-lactic acid nanofibers

“…It also leads to the increase of mean fiber diameter and the slight broadening of a fibers size distribution [32]. This effect appeared in both investigated processes: multi-jet electrospinning and blow-assisted multi-jet electrospinning.…”

“…Our previous study shows that application of air stream in nanofibers producing processes may play a crucial role, especially when it is the only source of a driving force for the process [32]. In present work, we introduce the air blowing assistance to multi-jet electrospinning process.…”

High performance and moisture stable humidity sensors based on polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers by improving electric conductivity

“…The conductivity of the LiCl‐PVDF solutions was too high to keep electric charges, so that the electrospun jet lost the driving force for producing nanofibers via electrospinning . Solution‐blowing spinning makes nanofibers with diameter range similar to electrospinning without electric force, because the driving force is the high speed of decompressed air . Thus, solution‐blowing spinning was performed to produce LiCl‐PVDF nanofibers.…”

Enhanced Chondrocyte Proliferation in a Prototyped Culture System with Wave-Induced Agitation

“…Previously, the 3D scaffolds made of micrometre-scale diameters PLA fibres produced by electrospinning process were successfully investigated (e.g. Kwon et al, 2013;Li et al, 2006;Pilarek et al, 2014;Wojasiński et al, 2014) as a synthetic polymeric biomaterial for chondrocyte implant development, whose properties, such as mechanical strength, degradation rate and dimensions can all be easily controlled. There is a distinct need to develop alternative techniques of mass transfer intensification within such 3D dense biomaterial-based constructs/implants to prevent the expansion of detrimental effects caused by progressive necrosis of the cells (Keeney et al, 2011;Pilarek et al, 2014).…”

“…The PLA-based scaffolds (16 mm diameter, 2 -3 mm thickness), made of 1.0-2.0 µm thin fibres electrospun in electro-hydro-dynamic atomization (EHDA) process from granulated 20 -30 kDa PLA (Polysciences, Inc., USA) dissolved in dichloromethane:N,N-dimethylformamide (9:1, v/v) at 7 % according to procedure reported previously by Wojasiński et al (2014). Prior to using them in culture systems, PLA scaffolds were washed and sterilized by immersion in 70 % ethanol and next dried in aseptic air for 1 h at room temperature.…”