Melt electrospinning of biodegradable polyurethane scaffolds

Abstract

Electrospinning from the melt, in contrast to from solution, is an attractive tissue engineering scaffold manufacturing process as it allows for the formation of small diameter fibers while eliminating potentially cytotoxic solvents. Despite this, there is a dearth of literature on scaffold formation via melt electrospinning. This is likely due to the technical challenges related to the need for a well-controlled high temperature setup and the difficulty in developing an appropriate polymer. In this paper, a biodegradable and thermally stable polyurethane (PU) is described specifically for use in melt electrospinning. Polymer formulations of aliphatic PUs based on (CH2)4-content diisocyanates, polycaprolactone (PCL), 1,4-butanediamine and 1,4-butanediol (BD) were evaluated for utility in the melt electrospinning process. The final polymer formulation, a catalyst-purified PU based on 1,4-butane diisocyanate, PCL and BD in a 4/1/3 molar ratio with a weight-average molecular weight of about 40 kDa, yielded a nontoxic polymer that could be readily electrospun from the melt. Scaffolds electrospun from this polymer contained point bonds between fibers and mechanical properties analogous to many in vivo soft tissues.

Electrospun Polyurethane Nanofibers

“…In the study of Karchin et al, a biodegradable and thermally stable PU, produced from 1,4-butanediamine and 1,4-butanediol, (CH 2 ) 4 -content diisocyanates and polycaprolactone. These aliphatic PU formulations were used in the melt electrospinning [42]. A catalyst-purified PU based on 1,4-butane diisocyanate, polycaprolactone, and 1,4-butanediol in a 4/1/3 M ratio respectively, yielded a non-toxic polymer that could be electrospun from the melt.…”

“…69937 19 wound dressing materials, sensors, in biomedical applications, drug delivery, etc. [21,[37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44].…”

“…It has reported that semipermeable dressings, many of which are PU, enhance wound healing [21,39]. Degradable and biocompatible aliphatic PU could also be formed into scaffolds via melt electrospinning [42]. Beside these biomedical applications, the PU nanofiber filters were prepared by electrospinning process based on 3D particle filtration modeling and some theoretical predictions were obtained for the filtration efficiency [45].…”

Mathematical model for predicting topographical properties of poly (ε-caprolactone) melt electrospun scaffolds including the effects of temperature and linear transitional speed

“…The process of melt electrospinning involves melting the polymer of choice before being extruded into fibers. Electrospun scaffolds can be fabricated with similar properties to the extracellular matrix and can thereby support cells adhesion, making it attractive for tissue engineering applications [1,2,5,[7][8][9][10][11].. However, control over scaffold topography and porosity is limited because of randomness of the whipping instability.…”

Preparation and Characterization of Polyurethane Bioadhesive from Hydroxyl-terminated Polylactide and Imidazole-blocked Isocyanate

“…[22][23][24][25] However, their mechanical properties including solvent, water, scratch, and abrasion resistance properties are poor due to the linear structure. All these drawbacks can be improved by crosslinking the polyurethane chains using isocyanate adhesive.…”