Electrostatic flocking of salt-treated microfibers and nanofiber yarns for regenerative engineering

Alec McCarthy; Kossi Loic M. Avegnon; Phil A. Holubeck; Demi Brown; Anik Karan; Navatha Shree Sharma; Johnson V. John; Shelbie Weihs; Jazmin Ley; Jingwei Xie

Materials Today Bio (Sep 2021)

Electrostatic flocking of salt-treated microfibers and nanofiber yarns for regenerative engineering

Alec McCarthy,
Kossi Loic M. Avegnon,
Phil A. Holubeck,
Demi Brown,
Anik Karan,
Navatha Shree Sharma,
Johnson V. John,
Shelbie Weihs,
Jazmin Ley,
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, NE, 668198, USA
Kossi Loic M. Avegnon: Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA
Phil A. Holubeck: Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 668198, USA
Demi Brown: Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 668198, USA
Anik Karan: Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 668198, USA
Navatha Shree Sharma: Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 668198, USA
Johnson V. John: Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 668198, USA
Shelbie Weihs: Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 668198, USA
Jazmin Ley: Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA
Jingwei Xie: Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 668198, USA; Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA; Corresponding author. Department of Surgery-Transplant and Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 668198, USA.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12
p. 100166

Abstract

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Electrostatic flocking is a textile technology that employs a Coulombic driving force to launch short fibers from a charging source towards an adhesive-covered substrate, resulting in a dense array of aligned fibers perpendicular to the substrate. However, electrostatic flocking of insulative polymeric fibers remains a challenge due to their insufficient charge accumulation. We report a facile method to flock electrostatically insulative poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) microfibers (MFs) and electrospun PCL nanofiber yarns (NFYs) by incorporating NaCl during pre-flock processing. Both MF and NFY were evaluated for flock functionality, mechanical properties, and biological responses. To demonstrate this platform's diverse applications, standalone flocked NFY and MF scaffolds were synthesized and evaluated as scaffold for cell growth. Employing the same methodology, scaffolds made from poly(glycolide-co-l-lactide) (PGLA) (90:10) MFs were evaluated for their wound healing capacity in a diabetic mouse model. Further, a flock-reinforced polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) disc was fabricated to create an anisotropic artificial vertebral disc (AVD) replacement potentially used as a treatment for lumbar degenerative disc disease. Overall, a salt-based flocking method is described with MFs and NFYs, with wound healing and AVD repair applications presented.

Published in Materials Today Bio

ISSN: 2590-0064 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General); Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/materials-today-bio

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