An Autoclavable and Transparent Thermal Cutter for Reliably Sealing Wet Nanofibrous Membranes

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Medical Device Fabrication

Background:

• Sealing wet porous membranes is critical for creating effective cell encapsulation devices.
• Existing methods often struggle with wet membranes, leading to device failure.
• The need for sterile and visually monitored sealing processes is paramount in biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an Autoclavable Transparent Thermal Cutter (ATTC) for sealing wet nanofibrous membranes.
• To assess the sealing integrity, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility of the ATTC-sealed membranes.
• To demonstrate the ATTC's utility in fabricating functional cell encapsulation devices.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Autoclavable Transparent Thermal Cutter (ATTC) with in situ visualization capabilities.
• Sealing of various wet nanofibrous membranes (PA6, PVDF, TPU) and microporous membranes (PP) using the ATTC.
• Mechanical testing (burst pressure) of sealed membrane ends.
• Biocompatibility assessment through cell viability, proliferation, escape, and function assays.

Main Results:

• The ATTC successfully created smooth, arbitrary-shaped seals on diverse wet membranes.
• Sealed wet nanofibrous tubes exhibited high burst pressure resistance (up to 313.2 ± 19.3 kPa).
• The ATTC sealing process demonstrated excellent compatibility with cell encapsulation, preserving cell viability, proliferation, and function.

Conclusions:

• The ATTC provides a reliable and sterile method for sealing wet nanofibrous membranes.
• The developed sealing technique ensures mechanical robustness and preserves cell function in encapsulation devices.
• The ATTC is a promising tool for advancing the fabrication of cell encapsulation devices.