The Effect of Rotating Collector Design on Tensile Properties and Morphology of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Fibres

Abstract

Abstract. Electrospinning is a technique that can produce fibres in the nanoscale range. This process is useful for many applications, including fabrication of fibrous scaffolds for fibrocartilage tissue engineering. For this application, cell attachment and tissue development is influenced by fibre morphology and mechanical properties. This electrospinning study investigated the influence of rotating collector design on morphology and mechanical properties of electrospun polycaprolactone fibre. The experiment employed 4 mandrel designs: 1) full surface of aluminium; 2) with gap feature; 3) with gap feature and teflon support; 4) with gap feature and tape support. The highest elastic modulus was obtained from mandrel with gap and tape support, which was 24.6 MPa and significantly higher compared to fibres acquired from other collector designs. Fibre diameter attained was identical across the different collectors, ranging from 0.5 -2 µm. Gap introduction showed enhanced alignment in the resultant fibre. It can be concluded that fibre alignment and tensile properties can be improved by simply modifying the collector design. This improved fibre mat can be developed as a biomaterial for fibrocartilage tissue engineering scaffolds.

Modelling and Optimization of Polycaprolactone Ultrafine-Fibres Electrospinning Process Using Response Surface Methodology

“…The PCL solution was prepared by dissolving PCL pellets in acetone overnight. The rotating collector was based an aluminium tube with a gap feature and external covering [ 68 ]. A 10 mL syringe with 20 G needle was used to dispense the solution onto a grounded rotating collector.…”

Recent Developments in Nanofiber Fabrication and Modification for Bone Tissue Engineering

“…The collector is an important component in electrospinning that allows for the preparation of oriented nanofibers by adjusting the speed of the collector. Many studies have increased the speed of the rotating collector [52][53][54][55][56][57][58]. When the collector is rotating, other parts of a conductive surface move closer to the end of the needle.…”

“…The first electrostatic force produces the fiber on a conductive surface and then changes to the next surface, leading to the movement of fiber and creating fiber movement between surfaces. After that, the next electrostatic force is applied, stretching the fiber and enhancing alignment [56]. Hence, a high-speed rotation of the collector has been used to generate aligned nanofibers in many studies [52][53][54][55][56][57][58].…”

“…After that, the next electrostatic force is applied, stretching the fiber and enhancing alignment [56]. Hence, a high-speed rotation of the collector has been used to generate aligned nanofibers in many studies [52][53][54][55][56][57][58]. For example, aligned nanofibrous composites made of PLGA and PLGA/gelatin were fabricated and collected at a collector rotation speed of 2,000 rpm with a linear rate [52].…”

“…Anindyajati et al demonstrated enhanced orientation and mechanical properties of electrospun polycaprolactone upon using a mandrel-shaped collector with gaps. The structure of the resulting fiber exhibited multiple degrees of alignment and tensile properties that are potentially suitable for a fibrocartilage tissue engineering scaffold [56]. Another example of using a mandrel collector is electrospun P(LLA-CL) nanofiber yarn (yarn) collected by a rotating mandrel (60 rpm).…”