Physical properties of a single polymeric nanofiber

Abstract

The nanostructural and elastic properties of a single polymeric nanofiber extracted from a nanofibrous scaffold are investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM imaging of the nanofibers reveals a “shish-kebab” structure. A portion of the nanofiber is suspended over a microscale groove etched on a silicon wafer. A nanoscale three-point bend test is performed to obtain the elastic modulus. This elastic modulus is found to be 1.0±0.2 GPa for fibers less than 350 nm but decrease with increase in fiber diameter in excess of 350 nm. This is due to the significance of shear deformation as the length to diameter ratio decreases.

Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Oriented Nanofibrous Scaffolds: Engineering the Superficial Zone of Articular Cartilage

“…40 In addition, a nano tensile tester has been applied to measure the tensile strength of electrospun fibers (40 MPa for 1.4 mm diameter). 38 It is interesting to note that this mechanical property decreased with increasing fiber diameter. We also note that seeding cells on these PCL fibers is not expected to significantly alter their mechanical properties.…”

“…Characterization of the mechanical properties of these thin electrospun nanofibrous PCL scaffolds is currently underway. We note that the elastic modulus of a single electrospun polymeric nanofiber can be as high as 1 GPa, 38,39 and that oriented polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds have mechanical properties in the MPa range, similar to native soft orthopedic tissues. 40 In addition, a nano tensile tester has been applied to measure the tensile strength of electrospun fibers (40 MPa for 1.4 mm diameter).…”

Polymeric Nanofibers in Tissue Engineering

“…More in depth pore characterization is commonly performed using mercury porosimetry. 2,9,14,26,36,52 The technique can be complicated by nanofibrous scaffolds with small pores 36 or very thin samples.…”

Size-dependent elastic modulus of single electroactive polymer nanofibers

“…In this letter, we elucidate the size-scale effect between well-aligned single polymer nanofibers and elastic modulus using a three-point bending technique [11][12][13] employing an atomic force microscope ͑AFM͒. Among many polymers, a poly͑2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid͒ ͑PAMPS͒ polymer has its unique character showing very slender and uniform morphology even in a diameter of a few tens of nanometers in electrospinning.…”