Large‐scale synthesis of compressible and re‐expandable three‐dimensional nanofiber matrices
Alec McCarthy,
Lorenzo Saldana,
Daniel McGoldrick,
Johnson V. John,
Mitchell Kuss,
Shixuan Chen,
Bin Duan,
Mark A. Carlson,
Jingwei Xie
Affiliations
Alec McCarthy
Department of Surgery – Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska USA
Lorenzo Saldana
Department of Surgery – Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska USA
Daniel McGoldrick
Department of Computer Science School of Computing & Design California State University ‐ Monterey Bay Seaside California USA
Johnson V. John
Department of Surgery – Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska USA
Mitchell Kuss
Department of Surgery – Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska USA
Shixuan Chen
Department of Surgery – Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska USA
Bin Duan
Department of Surgery – Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska USA
Mark A. Carlson
Department of Surgery‐General Surgery College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska USA
Jingwei Xie
Department of Surgery – Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha Nebraska USA
Abstract Due to their biomimetic properties, electrospun nanofibers have shown great potential in many biomedical fields. However, traditionally‐produced nanofibers are typically two‐dimensional (2D) membranes limiting their applications. Herein, we report a large‐scale synthesis of compressible and re‐expandable three‐dimensional (3D) nanofiber matrices for potential biomedical applications. The reproducible mass production of such matrices is achieved using a multiple‐emitter electrospinning machine with a controlled environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, and air flow rate) followed by an innovative gas‐foaming expansion. The modified 20‐emitter circular array with 3D‐printed needle caps is capable of maintaining stable Taylor cones under extremely high flow rates. The introduction of such an emitter array allows for the production rate of 3D nanofiber matrices to increase by over 800 times while retaining the desired morphological, mechanical, and absorptive properties when compared to ones generated by a single‐nozzle electrospinning setup. Taken together, a feasible, optimized method has been demonstrated for scaling up production of shape‐recoverable, expansile nanofiber matrices, representing a step towards translating such materials into preclinical, large animal testing, clinical trials, and eventually clinical applications.
