Development of Thermo-Responsive Polycaprolactone-Polydimethylsiloxane Shrinkable Nanofibre Mesh.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Shape memory polymers (SMPs) offer tunable properties for advanced applications.
• Polycaprolactone (PCL) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are versatile polymers with distinct characteristics.
• Electrospinning is a key technique for fabricating polymer nanofibres.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize a thermally activated shape memory polymer nanofibre mesh.
• To investigate the influence of PCL and PDMS composition on material properties.
• To evaluate the shape memory performance and biocompatibility of the PCL-PDMS nanofibres.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PCL-PDMS nanofibre mesh via electrospinning.
• Characterization of thermal, mechanical, and shape memory properties.
• Assessment of polymer crystallinity and its relation to PCL content.
• Evaluation of biocompatibility through biological experiments.

Main Results:

• PCL content dictates crystallinity; higher PCL ratios increase crystallinity.
• Mechanical properties decrease with increasing PCL composition.
• Achieved excellent shape memory performance: 98% shape fixity and >100% recovery ratio after five cycles.
• Demonstrated good biocompatibility of the PCL-PDMS nanofibre mesh.

Conclusions:

• The PCL-PDMS nanofibre mesh exhibits significant thermally activated shape memory behavior.
• The material's properties can be tuned by adjusting the PCL/PDMS ratio.
• The fabricated PCL-PDMS nanofibre mesh shows high potential for biomedical applications like shrinkable tubing and wires.