title: Nanofibrous microposts and microwells of controlled shapes and their hybridization with hydrogels for cell encapsulation.
abstract: A simple, robust, and cost-effective method is developed to fabricate nanofibrous micropatterns particularly microposts and microwells of controlled shapes. The key to this method is the use of an easily micropatternable and intrinsically conductive metal alloy as a template to collect electrospun fibers. The micropatterned alloy allows conformal fiber deposition with high fidelity on its topographical features and in situ formation of diverse, free-standing micropatterned nanofibrous membranes. Interestingly, these membranes can serve as structural frames to form robust hydrogel micropatterns that may otherwise be fragile on their own. These hybrid micropatterns represent a new platform for cell encapsulation where the nanofiber frames enhance the mechanical integrity of hydrogel and the micropatterns provide additional surface area for mass transfer and cell loading.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Duo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Der-I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Yen-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Guohao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Shuibing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Minglin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry; D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D000497:Alloys; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D020100:Hydrogels; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor; C527932:SOX9 protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; C084010:pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 protein; D020723:Glucuronic Acid