Morphological and Mechanical Properties of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Scaffolds: Effect of Applied Voltage

Abstract

The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of the applied voltage on the morphological and mechanical properties of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds for potential use in tissue engineering. The morphology of the scaffolds was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the BET techniques for measuring the surface area and pore volume. Stress-strain curves from tensile tests were obtained for estimating the mechanical properties. Additional studies for detecting changes in the chemical structure of the electrospun PCL scaffolds by Fourier transform infrared were performed, while contact angle and X-ray diffraction analysis were realized for determining the wettability and crystallinity, respectively. The SEM, AFM and BET results demonstrate that the electrospun PCL fibers exhibit morphological changes with the applied voltage. By increasing the applied voltage (10 to 25 kV) a significate influence was observed on the fiber diameter, surface roughness, and pore volume. In addition, tensile strength, elongation, and elastic modulus increase with the applied voltage, the crystalline structure of the fibers remains constant, and the surface area and wetting of the scaffolds diminish. The morphological and mechanical properties show a clear correlation with the applied voltage and can be of great relevance for tissue engineering.

Synthesis of Hollow PVP/Ag Nanoparticle Composite Fibers via Electrospinning under a Dense CO2 Environment

“…At an applied voltage of 18 kV, the electrospun fibers appear to be slightly wet and not straight ( Figure 7 f), which is possibly caused by the low evaporation rate of DCM as a consequence of shorter electrospinning duration. Olive et al [ 42 ] studied the effect of applied voltage on electrospun fibers and found similar results. Furthermore, the results show that a 15 kV applied voltage was suitable to fabricate the electric field in the electrospinning process ( Figure 7 d).…”

A review on biopolymer-derived electrospun nanofibers for biomedical and antiviral applications

“…Herrera et al studied the effect of applied voltage on the morphology and mechanical properties of PCL electrospun nanofibers. 119 This study revealed that larger fiber diameters can be obtained by increasing the voltage during electrospinning. Also, an increase in the applied voltage (to the jet solution) had an effect on the fiber diameters, surface roughness and pores volume increase as shown in Fig.…”

Drug Delivery Systems for Photodynamic Therapy: The Potentiality and Versatility of Electrospun Nanofibers

“…[98,99] On contrary, the increase in fibers' diameters with the increase of voltage was also reported by different works. [83,100,101] Regarding the feed rate, lower values are beneficial to maintain a balance between the leaving polymeric solution and replacement of that solution with a new one during jet formation. [86] On contrary, very elevated values of feed rate promote the formation of unstable jet and insufficient solvent evaporation, resulting in fibers with higher diameters and defects, and reduced deposition areas.…”