Near‐Field Electrospinning Patterning Polycaprolactone and Polycaprolactone/Collagen Interconnected Fiber Membrane

Abstract

Solution‐based near‐field electrospinning is employed to construct polymeric network membranes, made of orderly arranged and interconnected fibers. The narrow tip‐to‐nozzle separation of the direct‐writing process leads to solvent enriched fibers being deposited on the substrate, despite the use of a low boiling point solvent. This results in fibers with low cross‐sectional aspect ratio (flattened appearance), but providing a unique opportunity to produce interconnected fiber junctions through in situ, localized solvent etching by subsequent fiber overlays. Orthogonal networks of polycaprolactone (PCL) fibres, or PCL/collagen composite fibres, are fabricated, and then characterized by microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. This study presents a direct approach to strengthen interfiber junctions, and further the feasibility to interweave and interconnect fibers of different properties, leading to networked membranes with potentially tailorable functions for tissue engineering applications and beyond.

Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride-Based Fibrous Scaffolds with Piezoelectric Characteristics for Bone and Neural Tissue Engineering

“…As is widely recognized, 3D electrospun fibrous scaffolds, which can mimic the natural tissue structures, are considered to be of clinical importance. This motivates the researchers to develop a near-field electrospinning (NFES) to deposit well-aligned fibers in a short distance between the needle and collector (e.g., few millimeters) to suppress bending instability [205,206]. Thus, NFES can produce complex 3D fibrous scaffolds with desirable patterns and geometries because it allows a precise control of the fiber deposition in a direct writing (DW) mode.…”

Fabrication of Designable and Suspended Microfibers via Low-Voltage 3D Micropatterning

“…Further improvement in processing and solution conditions could be used to adjust fiber fracture properties as required; for example, other focused electrospinning studies have explored. 54 2.5. Suspended Mesofibrous Architectures in 3D.…”

Solution fibre spinning technique for the fabrication of tuneable decellularised matrix-laden fibres and fibrous micromembranes

“…For example, study performed by Beachley et al [45] reports that the elastic moduli of dried ECM spots (i.e. in a powder form similar to our homogenised UBM) were at least two orders of magnitude higher than that of [49], of which bulk Young's modulus will always be equal to or lower than the single fibre Young's modulus, since the inter-fibre space in a scaffold is filled by cells/ liquid/ air. Thus, we suggest that the ECM-laden fibres produced by our techniques give reasonable approximation to the tissue properties; in particular, they are much 'softer' than the fibrous structures produced by electrospun thermoplastic materials (see Introduction).…”