Toughening of electrospun poly(l-lactic acid) nanofiber scaffolds with unidirectionally aligned halloysite nanotubes

Abstract

The mechanical properties of the tissue engineering scaffold are important as they are tightly related the regeneration of structural tissue. The application of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanofiber scaffolds in tissue engineering has been hindered by their insufficient mechanical properties. In the study, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were used to reinforce the mechanical properties of PLLA-based nanofibers. 4 wt% HNT/PLLA nanofiber membranes possess the best mechanical performance, which represents 61 % increase in tensile strength, 100 % improvement of Young's modulus, 49 % augment of elongation to break, as well as 181 % elevation in energy to break compared with neat PLLA samples. The satisfactory enhancement effect of HNTs can be attributed to the effective dispersion and incorporation of HNTs in PLLA matrix, which have been confirmed by the analysis of SEM, TEM, and FTIR. The addition of HNTs also improves the degree of crystallization and thermal stability of PLLA-based nanofibers. HNT-incorporated PLLA nanofiber membranes possess higher protein adsorption from fetal bovine serum than the neat PLLA specimen. Therefore, the introduction of HNTs can effectively enhance the mechanical properties of PLLA nanofiber scaffolds. HNT/PLLA nanofiber scaffolds possess potential application in skin tissue engineering.

Fabrication of Core/Shell Nanofibers with Desirable Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties by Pickering Emulsion Electrospinning

“…It was found that the tensile strength and elongation at break of PE electrospun nanofiber membranes were improved by 57% and 36%, respectively, compared with neat PLA electrospun nanofiber membranes, which could be attributed to the incorporation of OA‐MIONs as emulsifier into PLA nanofibers. Nanofillers including MIONs nanoparticles have also been employed for mechanical enhancement of polymeric nanofibers . In this study, the application of OA‐MIONs not only contributed to producing the core/shell structure of nanofiber but also endowed the favorable antibacterial, superparamagnetic, and mechanical properties of polymeric nanofibers, which is expected to extend their applications in various fields such as tissue engineering and drug carriers.…”

Synergistic effect of graphene oxide‐silver nanofillers on engineering performances of polyelectrolyte complex nanofiber membranes

“…It is known that nanoparticles (i.e., silica, hydroxyapatite, metal, metal oxides, and other inorganic particles), tubular materials (i.e., carbon nanotube and halloysite nanotubes) and layered materials (i.e., graphene derivatives and layered silicate) can improve the mechanical strength of electrospun nanofiber membranes . The effective mechanical enhancement does not work without efficient stress transfer from PEC nanofiber to nanofillers, which highly hinges on good dispersion and strong interactions between nanofillers and composite matrix . However, nanofillers agglomerate can accelerate crack initiation, impairing mechanical performance of composite nanofibers.…”

The Effect of halloysite on structure and properties of polycaprolactone/gelatin nanofibers

“…b that the maximum rate of nanofiber degradation decreased with increasing HNT content. Cai et al reported that the improvement of thermal stability through introducing fillers was largely dependent on the dispersion of fillers in matrix. Therefore, HNT nanotubes dispersed in PCL/Gel nanofibers creates a potential barrier to the passage of the volatile pyrolized products from the matrix, eventually retarding thermal decomposition of the modified nanofibers.…”