Surface Modification of Electrospun TPU Nanofiber Scaffold with CNF Particles by Ultrasound‐Assisted Technique for Tissue Engineering

Abstract

A straightforward, fast, and versatile technique is developed to fabricate nanofibrous scaffold with excellent hydrophilicity, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility for tissue engineering. The thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofiber is fabricated by utilizing electrospinning, and then its surface is modified through simply immersing it into cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) dispersion and subjecting to ultrasonication. The results show that the CNF particles are successfully absorbed on the surface of TPU nanofiber. By introducing CNF particles on the surface of TPU nanofiber, the hydrophilicity, mechanical properties of fabricated CNF‐absorbed TPU scaffold are significantly increased. Additionally, the adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells cultured on CNF‐absorbed TPU scaffold are prominently enhanced in comparison with those of cultured on TPU scaffold. These findings suggest that the ultrasound‐assisted technique opens up a new way to simply and effectively modify the surface of various scaffolds and the modified scaffold could be shown a great potential in tissue engineering.

How Nanofibers Carry the Load: Toward a Universal and Reliable Approach for Tensile Testing of Polymeric Nanofibrous Membranes

“…[5] In the last two decades, indeed, nonwoven fabrics made of nanofibers gained increasing attention, thanks to their high surface-to-volume ratio and outstanding properties. Besides the application as highly efficient filters, [6,7] nanofibrous nonwoven mats (known as nanomats too) are successfully used in tissue engineering, [8,9] sensors, [10,11] catalysis, [12,13] and composite materials with enhanced mechanical performances [14][15][16][17][18] and/or peculiar properties. [19] In most applications, the assessment of mat mechanical properties is fundamental for evaluating effective applicability, and tensile testing is commonly performed.…”

“…The knowledge of the thickness measurement conditions (mainly the applied pressure) should help, but usually, this information is missing. [9,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] The underestimation of this aspect, affecting almost all the studies about tensile testing of nanofibers, prevents any reliable comparison. As a consequence, the state-of-the-art on the topic lacks, despite the widespread growth and use of such nanomaterials.…”

Ultrasonication‐Induced Modification of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles onto a 3D Porous Poly(lactic acid) Scaffold with Improved Mechanical Properties and Biocompatibility

“…During the ultrasonication process, the HA nanoparticles with strong energies and high speeds were pushed against the surface of the PLA scaffold . These forceful and repeated impacts battered the PLA matrix, causing microscopic damage that made the PLA matrix softer, resulting in the HA nanoparticles becoming strongly embedded in the surface of the PLA scaffold . More HA nanoparticles were embedded in the surface with increasing ultrasonication time.…”

Novel chitosan–cellulose nanofiber self-healing hydrogels to correlate self-healing properties of hydrogels with neural regeneration effects

“…CNFs strongly interact and entangle among the fibrils. Meanwhile, CNFs are long, flexible, and can readily form hydrogen bonds with the surrounding 40 . Moreover, the addition of CNFs may cause a significant steric hindrance effect and thereby modulate the dynamic Schiff bonding of the hydrogel.…”