Applications of co-axial electrospinning in the biomedical field

Abstract

Nanofibers are the center of researcher’s attention due to their applications in industrial, technological, and scientific fields. Nanofibers are fabricated via a famous technique known as electrospinning. But through single-nozzle electrospinning, we cannot use all the precursor solutions, and the desired geometry of fibers is also prevented. To overcome the limitations of single-nozzle electrospinning, an advanced version of electrospinning has been introduced which is termed as co-axial electrospinning. This review will describe the processes as well as advancements made to co-axial electrospinning which empower the formation of uniform fibers with enhanced characteristics. This technique can be used to fabricate functional and hollow fibers from non-spinnable precursors. One common drawback that is observed in the single-nozzle electrospinning is the degradability of drugs which can be avoided by co-axial electrospinning. The comparison of co-axial electrospinning with single-nozzle conventional electrospinning has been established and supported with up-to-date literature. The services of co-axial electrospinning in several fields have been summarized but with more emphasis on the biomedical field. Their major applications in wound dressing, periodontal regeneration, nerve tissue engineering, bone tissue engineering, double drug delivery, and cancer treatment have been reported. Future recommendations are established for the potential researchers to design a more effective and sustainable methodology for the development of functional core-sheath nanofibers.

Keywords

• Co-axial electrospinning
• Nanofibers
• Hollow fibers
• Biomedical
• Drug delivery