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Due to the relative ease of producing nanofibers with a core–shell structure, emulsion electrospinning has been investigated intensively in making nanofibrous drug delivery systems for controlled and sustained release. Predictions of drug release rates from the poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) produced via emulsion electrospinning can be a very difficult task due to the complexity of the system. A computational finite element methodology was used to calculate the diffusion mass transport of Rhodamine B (fluorescent drug model). Degradation effects and hydrophobicity (partitioning phenomenon) at the fiber/surrounding interface were included in the models. The results are validated by experiments where electrospun PLGA nanofiber mats with different contents were used. A new approach to three-dimensional (3D) modeling of nanofibers is presented in this work. The authors have introduced two original models for diffusive drug release from nanofibers to the 3D surrounding medium discretized by continuum 3D finite elements: (1) A model with simple radial one-dimensional (1D) finite elements, and (2) a model consisting of composite smeared finite elements (CSFEs). Numerical solutions, compared to experiments, demonstrate that both computational models provide accurate predictions of the diffusion process and can therefore serve as efficient tools for describing transport inside a polymer fiber network and drug release to the surrounding porous medium.

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Hybrid composite panels of Wood-Plastic Composites (WPC) consisting of wood and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were reinforced with alumina particles and made by "hot pressing" method. Alumina-based particles were made by sol-gel technique. The particles were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD). The resulting alumina particles were modified with (3mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS), in order to obtain better mechanical properties of the composite relative to the composite with unmodified alumina particles. The aim of this work was to study the influence of composite structure and the moisture absorption on bending and the impact properties of the hybrid composite. The bending and impact tests revealed that modulus of elasticity and absorbed energy of deformation increased with modification of alumina and slightly decrease after moisture absorption.

In this study, polycaprolactone (PCL), as a biocompatible polymer was functionalized by addition of medicinal plant extract‐ Achillea millefolium L. (yarrow). Nanofiber mats were fabricated from PCL solutions containing dry yarrow extract in four concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% relative to the weight of the polymer) by using blend electrospinning method. The nanofibers were characterized for their biological, mechanical and drug release behavior. In vitro release of yarrow polyphenols from the electrospun PCL nanofibers over a period of 5 days showed the release of up to 98% of the total loaded polyphenols. The released polyphenols retained its antioxidant activity, which was determined by DPPH assay. Electrospun PCL/yarrow nanofiber mats exhibited the antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus, but had no effect on the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All PCL/yarrow nanofiber mats had improved mechanical properties compared to the neat PCL nanofibers, as evident by an increase in Young's modulus of elasticity (up to 5.7 times), the tensile strength (up to 5.5 times), and the strain at break (up to 1.45 times). Based on our results, yarrow‐loaded PCL nanofiber mats appeared to be multi‐functional biomaterials suitable for the production of catheter‐coating materials, patches, or gauzes with antibacterial and antioxidant properties.