Fiber composite materials via coaxial, dual or blend electrospinning

Abstract

Electrospinning (ES) is a suitable and cost effective method to mimic the chemical composition, morphology, and functional surface of natural tissues, for example of the nervous, dermal, vascular, and musculoskeletal systems. This technique is a versatile tool to obtain tailored fibrous scaffolds from various polymer materials. By varying the diameter, porosity, orientation, layering, surface structuring, mechanical properties and biodegradability of the fibers the properties can be adapted for specific applications ranging from implantable medical devices to wound repair and protective clothing. Especially the combination of different polymer types offers a high potential. In this study electrospun two-component nonwoven structures of thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (TPC-ET) and bioresorbable polylactide (PLLA) were fabricated, using different ES setups. A comparative evaluation in terms of porosity, thermal and mechanical properties as well as required fabrication effort, was performed. Nonwovens made from polymer blends and coaxial spun core-sheath fibers showed similar tensile strength, which was higher than dual electrospun fabrics. Porosity was found to be in the range of 80 - 90%. By modifying the polymer solution and process parameters multicomponent nonwoven structures with tailored properties and drug release profiles can be manufactured.

Keywords

• core-sheath
• nanofiber
• nonwoven
• scaffold