Comparison between Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Membranes Produced via Coaxial and Monoaxial Electrospinning

Abstract

The production of nanofibrous membranes finds high interest in the biomedical field, from drug delivery to wound dressing. The types of polymers used for these applications are mainly synthetic and natural biopolymers that have different properties, especially in terms of bioactivity, adhesion to cells, and mechanical properties. In the current study, two different processes, namely uniaxial electrospinning and coaxial electrospinning configuration are used to produce nanofibrous membranes based on PCL (synthetic biopolymer) and gelatin (natural biopolymer). The mechanical properties of the coaxial and blend systems have been compared to the ones of PCL and gelatin membranes. Coaxial electrospun systems have mechanical properties between those of gelatin and those of PCL membranes. This phenomenon is probably due to a well‐defined interface between the two polymers in the core‐shell configuration. In blend configurations, the intimate contact between the two polymers enhances the flexibility of the material. In fact, an increase in the strain at the break of 350% is obtained compared to the PCL (80%) and gelatin (3%) membrane. These results highlight how the electrospinning process configuration affects the range of applicability of these types of devices.