Role of molecular weight of atactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in the structure and properties of PVA nanofabric prepared by electrospinning

Abstract

Atactic poly(vinyl alcohols) (a-PVAs) having number-average degrees of polymerization [(P n )s] of 1700 and 4000 were prepared by the solution polymerization of vinyl acetate, which was followed by the saponification of poly(vinyl acetate) to investigate the effects of molecular weights of a-PVA on the characteristics of electrospun a-PVA nanofabrics. A-PVA nanofabrics were prepared by electrospinning with controlling the process parameters including the electrical field, conductivity, tip-to-collector distance, and solution concentration. Through a series of characterization experiments, we identified that the molecular weight of a-PVA had a marked influence on the structure and properties of nanofabrics produced. That is, the higher the molecular weight of PVA, the superior the physical properties of PVA nanofabric.

Porous Polymeric Bioresorbable Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

“…Porosity (the amount of void space), size, geometry, orientation and interconnectivity of pores and channels directly affect the transport and delivery of nutrients for cells throughout the scaffold [34]. In particular high porosity, high surface area to volume ratio and high pore interconnectivity are required in order to ensure uniform tissue ingrowth, efficient delivery of nutrients to the interior of the scaffold and removal of waste towards the exterior [35].…”

“…Indeed, a given parameter often differently affects fibre morphology, depending on the specific polymer-solvent combination and on process variables. For instance, the effect of electrical potential difference ∆V on fibre diameter depends on the ES systems considered: ∆V can either have no effect on fibre diameter [34,35], or its increase can decrease fibre diameter [36,37] or it can change diameter distribution width [38,39]. The understanding of how ES variables interplay in affecting fibre morphology is far from being understood and no predictive models have been developed.…”

“…ES mats composed of differently oriented P(L)LA fibres (both randomly arranged and highly aligned) were produced. 33 MCF7 cells derived from a mammary carcinoma cell line 34 were used and cell culture on the ES scaffolds was carried out for 7 days. 35 This experiment aims at investigating the effect of fibre spatial arrangement on cancer cell behaviour in order to better understand the role of the fibrous component of ECM in driving the development of tumour forms in the organism.…”

“…Meshes made of highly aligned fibres were obtain by collecting the fibres on the same cylindrical target rotating at angular rate ϖ = 6200 rpm. 34 Human breast cancer cell line MCF7 were maintained in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 100 µg/ml Streptomycin, 100IU/ml Penicillin, 2 mM L-Glutamine and 0.1 mM nonessential amino acids in T-75 flasks in an incubator at 37°C and 5% CO 2 . Sub-confluence cell were trypsinized (0.05% Trysin-EDTA), centrifuged and re-suspended in culture medium.…”

Investigation of Morphological and Mechanical Properties of PVA/ Aloe barbadensis and PEO/Chitosan Blended Nanofibrous Structures Fabricated by Dual Electrospinning System

“…Kimyasal aşınmaya olan dayanımı, biyo-uyumlu yapısı ve çeşitli fiziksel özelliklerinden dolayı tekstil ve kimya endüstrisinde oldukça geniş bir kullanım alanına sahiptir. Moleküler kristal yapısı nedeniyle PVA liflerin oldukça yüksek mukavemet değerlerine ve aşınma dayanımına sahip olduğu bilinmektedir (Lee et al 2004). …”