Photothermal Welding, Melting, and Patterned Expansion of Nonwoven Mats of Polymer Nanofibers for Biomedical and Printing Applications

Abstract

We report as imple method for the photothermal welding of nonwoven mats of electrospun nanofibers by introducing an ear-infrared (NIR) dye such as indocyanine green. By leveraging the strong photothermal effect of the dye, the nanofibers can be readily welded at their cross points or even over-welded (i.e., melted and/or fused together) to transform the porous mat into as olid film upon exposure to aNIR laser.While welding at the cross points greatly improves the mechanical strength of an onwoven mat of nanofibers, melting and fusion of the nanofibers can be employed to fabricate anovel class of photothermal papers for laser writing or printing without chemicals or toner particles.B yu sing aphotomask, we can integrate photothermal welding with the gas foaming technique to pattern and then expand nonwoven mats into 3D scaffolds with well-defined structures.T his method can be applied to different combinations of polymers and dyes,i ft hey can be co-dissolved in as uitable solvent for electrospinning.

A review of smart electrospun fibers toward textiles

“…In consequence, under NIR illumination, the exposure area of the PCL fibrous mat melts after the temperature of local area reaches the melting point of PCL owing to the photothermal effect of ICG. The morphology, mechanical strength, extent of welding and other properties of this mat could be adjusted by tuning irradiance of NIR, exposure time and the concentration of ICG [ 97 ].…”

Multi-layer Scaffolds of Poly(caprolactone), Poly(glycerol sebacate) and Bioactive Glasses Manufactured by Combined 3D Printing and Electrospinning

“…The cross-linking of PGS and fusion between fibres and electrospun layers are likely to be the reasons for the high values measured. It has been reported that the Young's modulus of PCL fibrous mats can be increased by welding procedures, such as vapour treatment and thermal annealing [32,33]. These methods induce interfibre bonding that limits fibre movement and slipping during stretching, with a consequent increase in mat resistance to deformation [34].…”

Reverse Thinking of the Aggregation‐Induced Emission Principle: Amplifying Molecular Motions to Boost Photothermal Efficiency of Nanofibers**

“…Hybrid nanofibers comprising functional molecules have captivated much scientific interest by the virtue of their prominent application potential in smart textiles, wearable device and biomedicine. [1][2][3][4][5] Of particular interest is photothermal nanofibers that are capable of absorbing light energy and transfer it to heat, affording extensive uses in various applications ranging from the solar steam generation, smart clothing, thermal management to cancer therapy. [6][7][8] Finely engineering nanofibers with photothermal function has consequently become one of the most intensive research topics during recent years.…”