title: Nanofibrous scaffolds electrospun from elastomeric biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) copolymer.
abstract: Electrospinning has recently received much attention in biomedical applications, and has shown great potential as a novel scaffold fabrication method for tissue engineering. The nano scale diameter of the fibers produced and the structure of the web resemble certain supramolecular features of extracellular matrix which is favorable for cell attachment, growth and proliferation. There are various parameters that can alter the electrospinning process, and varying one or more of these conditions will result in producing different nanofibrous webs. So the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of material variables and process variables on the morphology of electrospun 50:50 poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLCL) nanofibrous structures. The morphology of the nanofibers produced was strongly influenced by parameters such as the flow rate of the polymer solution, the electrospinning voltage and the solution concentration. The diameter was found to increase with solution concentration in a direct linear relationship. Finally, it has been successfully demonstrated that by increasing the rotation speed of the collector mandrel, the alignment of the fibers can be controlled in a preferred direction. These findings contribute to determining the functional conditions to electrospin this biodegradable elastomeric copolymer which has potential as a scaffold material for vascular tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Fiber and Polymer Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8301, USA.
authors.forename: Sangwon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Ajit K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Moghe
authors.forename: Gerardo A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.forename: Soo Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Martin W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000042:Absorption; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D020724:Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry*; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008422:Materials Testing; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D012399:Rotation; D013499:Surface Properties; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020724:Elastomers; D011091:Polyesters; C062968:lactide-caprolactone copolymer