Macromol. Mater. Eng. 5/2018

High‐molecular biodegradable and bioresorbable polymers are widely used in tissue engineering applications. In this work, a high‐resolution 3D printing technique, thermally assisted electrohydrodynamic jet (TAEJ) printing, is developed for patterning high‐molecular weight biopolymer 3D structures. Boiling point graded polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and PVP/polycaprolactone biopolymer inks are prepared. The resultant effects of electrohydrodynamic force and thermal field are applied on these polymer ink, to form a stable and controllable sub‐micrometer scale jet at the needle tip. Fine jet 2D period patterns and 3D high aspect ratio structures of the biopolymer inks are directly printed using fine jet at a typical feature size of sub‐micrometer. Furthermore, TAEJ printing of 3D heterogeneous high‐molecular weight biopolymer scaffold is demonstrated. Cell culture shows high biocompatibility and cartilage regeneration in vitro, which provides a great potential for tissue engineering applications.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermally Assisted Electrohydrodynamic Jet High‐Resolution Printing of High‐Molecular Weight Biopolymer 3D Structures

Wang

et al. 2018

“…Their unique physicochemical properties such as high specific surface area to volume ratio, tailorable surface morphology and porosity, and their ability to be functionalized for a specific end use, make them powerful tools for use in research and manufacturing . Polymer fibers have been used extensively in energy storage, filtration, automotive industries, sensing, and as biomaterials—for example, in tissue engineering and drug delivery …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fiber Formation from Silk Fibroin Using Pressurized Gyration

Heseltine

Hosken

Agboh

et al. 2018

Self Cite

Silk has attracted considerable interest for use in biomedical applications due to its high strength and promising biocompatibility. Degummed silk, consisting only of silk fibroin (SF), has been processed using various methods and can be made into films, sponges, and fibers. Pressurized gyration (PG) is capable of rapidly producing aligned fibers and offers a great amount of control over their structure and morphology. Here, SF fibers are produced for the first time using PG. The effect of varying SF concentration and applied working pressure to the gyration vessel is reported, along with the resulting effect on fiber diameter, morphology, and structural composition. Aligned microfibers are found at concentrations of 8, 10, 12 w/v%, with the lowest fiber diameters reported at 8 w/v% SF 0.3 MPa applied pressure (2.1 ± 1.3 µm). Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirms the existence of PG spun fibers in both random coil and β‐sheet formations.

“…The pressurized gyration produced cyclodextrin fibers overall did not have uniaxial alignment as part of their inherent morphology, which is usually seen with gyration produced fibers. [35,46] This is likely due to the method in which they were collected, which has a large influence on their alignment; air blown from the heat gun could have attributed to the random alignment of the fibers and also a reduction of fiber diameter uniformity. [33] The topography of the fibers showed a smooth surface, devoid of surface pores, due to the fact that a non-volatile solvent was used in the spinning process.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At a concentration of 160% (w/v), the viscosity of the solution in water is only about 420 mPa s, comparatively, most other polymer solutions at this concentration would be too thick in consistency and difficult to measure. [ 35 ] At a concentration of 180% (w/v), there is a slight increase in viscosity again, but at 220% (w/v), there is a steep increase in measured viscosity indicating a rapid change in polymer chain entanglement. [ 36 ] The surface tension of the different cyclodextrin solutions are similar and increase slightly when there is an increase in the concentration amount of polymer, this is typical of most polymer solutions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Manufacturing Cyclodextrin Fibers Using Water

Kelly

Ahmed

Edirisinghe

2022

Self Cite

Cyclodextrins are a class of biocompatible and highly water‐soluble oligosaccharide polymers, with vast applications in industries ranging from drug delivery to agriculture. Currently, most fiber production relies on using environmentally unfriendly organic solvents and polymeric additions. Cyclodextrins are seldom used on their own without a carrier polymer, however in this work, (2‐hydroxypropyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin) fibers are successfully produced with water, as the “green” solvent with pressurized gyration and electrospinning, without using a carrier polymer. The average fiber diameter of the pressurized gyration produces fibers ranged between 5.5 and 5.8 µm, while the average fiber diameter of the electrospun fibers ranged between only 183 and 305 nm. These findings show the thinnest diameter of pure cyclodextrin fibers achieved in current literature. Both techniques have specific advantages, such as electrospinning being able to produce nanofibers, while pressurized gyration has productivity of over 1.5 g min−1. Here, a pioneering study into the production of cyclodextrin‐only fibers with two different fiber production techniques and the creation of a cyclodextrin‐super‐mat that combines both types of fibers is presented.