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Electrospun Nanofiber Scaffolds with Gradations in Fiber Organization
Published on: April 19, 2015
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Microstructure-dependent mechanical properties of electrospun core-shell scaffolds at multi-scale levels
Christopher B Horner1, Gerardo Ico1, Jed Johnson2
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521, United States.
Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials
|January 18, 2016
Summary
Core-shell electrospinning allows precise control over scaffold mechanics for tissue engineering. Varying core composition and dimensions, like polyetherketoneketone (PEKK)-polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin-PCL, tunes fiber and scaffold properties for tissue morphogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Mechanical properties of scaffolds critically influence stem cell behavior and tissue development in tissue engineering.
- Core-shell electrospinning offers a method to decouple mechanical properties from surface chemistry, providing design flexibility.
- Previous studies highlight the importance of scaffold mechanics but lack independent control over mechanical properties and surface chemistry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize core-shell electrospun scaffolds with varying core compositions (PEKK, gelatin) and dimensional ratios.
- To investigate the microscale and macroscale mechanical properties of these scaffolds.
- To assess the potential for controlling tissue morphogenesis through tailored mechanical characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Core-shell fibers were fabricated using electrospinning with polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) or gelatin as the core and polycaprolactone (PCL) as the shell.
- Microscale mechanical properties (fiber modulus) were correlated with core-to-shell dimensional ratios.
- Macroscale mechanical properties (compressive and tensile modulus) were evaluated in relation to scaffold porosity and composition.
Main Results:
- Individual fiber modulus increased with core size for both PEKK-PCL (0.55–1.74 GPa) and gelatin-PCL (0.48–1.53 GPa) fibers.
- Scaffold compressive modulus was predominantly determined by porosity, decreasing significantly with increased porosity (e.g., PEKK-PCL: 227.67 kPa to 14.55 kPa).
- Tensile mechanical loading revealed biphasic behavior, with moduli ranging from 5.42–12.00 MPa (PEKK-PCL) and 10.19–22.60 MPa (gelatin-PCL).
Conclusions:
- Core-shell electrospinning provides a versatile approach to independently control local (fiber) and global (scaffold) mechanical properties.
- The study demonstrates a feasible method for tuning scaffold mechanics by adjusting core composition and dimensional ratios.
- These findings support the use of core-shell scaffolds for achieving desired tissue morphogenesis by precisely controlling mechanical cues.
