Electrospinning for the Modification of 3D Objects for the Potential Use in Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Electrospinning is often investigated for biotechnological applications, such as tissue engineering and cell growth in general. In many cases, three-dimensional scaffolds would be advantageous to prepare tissues in a desired shape. Some studies thus investigated 3D-printed scaffolds decorated with electrospun nanofibers. Here, we report on the influence of 3D-printed substrates on fiber orientation and diameter of a nanofiber mat, directly electrospun on conductive and isolating 3D-printed objects, and show the effect of shadowing, taking 3D-printed ears with electrospun nanofiber mats as an example for potential and direct application in tissue engineering in general.

Keywords

• needleless electrospinning
• poly(lactic acid) (PLA)
• poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN)
• nanospider
• cell adhesion
• cell proliferation