Wearable, Ultralow Power, and Needleless Electrospinning Equipment for Cannabidiol-Loaded Patch Fabrication

In this study, we introduce a wearable, ultralow-power electrospinning glove that fabricates a cannabidiol (CBD)-infused microfiber. Unlike traditional electrospinning systems that require bulky equipment and input voltages on the order of tens of kilovolts, our lightweight, battery-operated device functions with a low input voltage of just 1 V DC. Central to the device is a needleless, ring-shaped spinneret incorporating convergent-divergent geometry within the distributed liquid nozzles, facilitating smooth fluid transitions and efficient acceleration of the polymer solution. The low-voltage input is transformed into a high-voltage output (up to 50 kV) using a compact high-voltage amplifier circuit composed of a diode-capacitor ladder network. The needleless system mounted within an insulating glove ensures consistent and high-throughput fiber formation using a precisely controlled air-driven solution pump, making it user-friendly and scalable. To evaluate the performance of the device, we fabricate CBD-loaded polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers using both the wearable device and a standard benchtop electrospinning setup. Comparative analyses are performed on jet dynamics, fiber morphology, chemical composition, and drug encapsulation efficiency. The PVP/CBD80 formulation, containing 80% CBD, achieves a jet branching velocity of ∼92.1 ± 4.1 m/s, fiber diameters ranging from ∼1.1 to 1.5 μm, and a CBD loading efficiency between 87 and 91%, all comparable to results from benchtop systems. Furthermore, in vitro and ex vivo experiments using agarose-based skin models and excised porcine skin demonstrated that CBD encapsulated within the PVP/CBD80 fibers could penetrate the agarose model within 2 h and achieve rapid release into square and V-shaped wounded porcine skin models within 1.5 h. Overall, this work demonstrates the feasibility of a portable, wearable electrospinning platform capable of producing drug-loaded nanofiber patches, holding significant promise for point-of-care wound treatment in diverse settings, including hospitals, athletic environments, and military field operations.