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Updated: Sep 23, 2025
Fabricating Superhydrophobic Polymeric Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 28, 2015
Preparation and evaluation of poly(ester-urethane) urea/gelatin nanofibers based on different crosslinking strategies
Yao Wang1, Tonghe Zhu2, Haizhu Kuang2
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, The Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Shanghai 200032 People's Republic of China hong.tao@zs-hospital.sh.cn lu.shuyang@zs-hospital.sh.cn.
Abstract:
Due to the brittleness of gelatin, the resulting absence of mechanical performance restricts its applications in vascular tissue engineering. In this research, the fabrication of poly(ester-urethane) urea/gelatin (PU75) nanofibers via an electrospinning technique, followed by different crosslinking methods, resulted in the improvement of its mechanical properties. Poly(ester urethane) urea (PEUU) nanofibrous scaffolds and PU75-based nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD), a mechanical properties test, a cytocompatibility assay, a hemolysis assay, and a histological analysis. Water contact angle (WCA) tests confirmed that the PU75-GA (PU75 nanofibers crosslinked with glutaraldehyde vapor) nanofibrous scaffold surfaces became more hydrophilic compared with other crosslinked nanofibrous scaffolds. The results show that the PU75-GA nanofibrous scaffold exhibited a combination of excellent mechanical properties, suitable pore diameters, hydrophilic properties, good cytocompatibility, and reliable hemocompatibility. Overall, PU75-GA nanofibers may be a potential scaffold for artificial blood vessel construction.
