Electrospinning Academic News

Electrospinning can be used for easily removable wound dressings 2021-03-18

Wound care management is a serious issue among the medical practitioners due to its varying complexity and various materials were tested for fast relief and easy removal. In this regard zwitterionic polymer based wound dressing membranes are the key point of attraction. Here we prepared a novel zwitterionic poly (carboxybetaine-co-methyl methacrylate) (CBMA) copolymer based nanomembranes using the electrospinning technique for the wound dressing application. The study takes advantage of the outstanding chemical properties of zwitterionic CBMA and the morphological efficiency of nanomembranes. The cell attachment studies proved the cell inert nature of thus prepared membranes. Such non cell adherent wound dressing membranes can be applied as the easy removable, no-pain wound dressing bandages. Our results clearly showed that the excellent blood-inert nature can be achieved by the CBMA nanofiber membranes. Therefore, there will be less chance of attaching blood clot with the wound dressi

Electrospinning polyvinylidene fluoride fibrous membranes containing anti-bacterial drugs used as wound dressing 2021-03-18

The aim of this study was to synthesis drug-loaded fibrous membrane scaffolds for potential applications as wound dressing. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fibrous membranes were loaded with enrofloxacin (Enro) drugs by using an electrospinning process, and their mechanical strength, drug release profile and anti-bacterial properties were evaluated. Enro drug-loaded PVDF membranes exhibited good elasticity, flexibility and excellent mechanical strength. The electrospinning Enro/PVDF membranes showed a burst drug release in the initial 12 h, followed by sustained release for the next 3 days, which was an essential property for antibiotic drugs applied for wound healing. The drug-loaded PVDF fibrous membranes displayed excellent anti-bacterial activity toward Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results suggest that electrospinning PVDF membrane scaffolds loaded with drugs can be used as wound dressing.

Curcumin-loaded electrospun PHBV nanofibers as potential wound-dressing material 2021-03-18

Advances in nanotechnology have led to the generation of many new wound-dressing materials with high surface area and high productivity at a low cost. The present study aims to fabricate curcumin-loaded nanofiber-based wound-dressing materials to enhance the bioavailability of curcumin and trigger the wound healing process. Curcumin (Cur) (0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% [w/v])-loaded poly(3-hydroxy butyric acid-co-3-hydroxy valeric acid) (PHBV) nanofibers were successfully produced via electrospinning. Morphological analysis revealed that the average fiber diameter of the nanofibers varied from 207 ± 56 to 519 ± 15 nm, depending on the curcumin concentration. The stiffness of nanofibers decreased with curcumin concentration. According to the release data, approximately 25% of the curcumin released in 30 min after the burst release. In addition, PHBV and PHBV/Cur nanofibers were not toxic to L929 mouse fibroblasts and enhanced the cell attachment and proliferation. Degradation studies, FTIR analy

Wound-dressing materials with antibacterial activity from electrospun gelatin fiber mats containing silver nanoparticles 2021-03-18

Ultrafine gelatin fiber mats with antibacterial activity against some common bacteria found on burn wounds were prepared from a gelatin solution (22%w/v in 70 vol% acetic acid) containing 2.5 wt% AgNO3. Silver nanoparticles (nAg), a potent antibacterial agent, first appeared in the AgNO3-containing gelatin solution after it had been aged for at least 12 h, with the amount of nAg increasing with increasing aging time. The average diameters of the as-formed nAg ranged between 11 and 20 nm. Electrospinning of both the base and the 12 h-aged AgNO3-containing gelatin solutions resulted in the formation of smooth fibers, with average diameters of ∼230 and ∼280 nm, respectively. The average diameter of the as-formed nAg in the electrospun fibers from the 12 h-aged AgNO3-containing gelatin solution was ∼13 nm. The nAg-containing gelatin fiber mats were further cross-linked with moist glutaraldehyde vapor to improve their stability in an aqueous medium. Both the weight loss and the water retent

Preparation of silver nanoparticles and riboflavin embedded electrospun polymer nanofibrous scaffolds for in vivo wound dressing application 2021-03-18

Biocompatible silver-based nanofibrous frameworks have attracted intensive attention in wound dressing materials ascribed to their greater stability, minimal toxicity, excellent antibacterial activity, and extended therapeutic efficiency. The present investigation delineates a simple approach to synthesize silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), and riboflavin (RF) decorated polyvinyl alcohol/β-Cyclodextrin (PVA/β-CD) electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds envisioning their application in wound dressings. PVA/β-CD polymer matrix regulates the stabilization of Ag NPs and RF. Also, it promotes the wound healing process and skin regeneration. The morphology, thermal properties, and their structure were also evaluated. Likewise, mechanical properties, biodegradation and drug release profile of the nanofibrous scaffolds were evaluated. In addition Antibacterial studies of the resultant nanofibrous scaffolds showed a strong inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli at a consider

Coaxial electrospinning of PVA/Nigella seed oil nanofibers: Processing and morphological characterization 2021-03-18

One of the most promising nanostructures, core/shell structured co-axially electrospun nanofibers have been widely used in many applications such as self-healing, wound dressing/healing, drug and gene delivery and tissue engineering. Core/shell structured nanofibers have generally been produced using the coaxial electrospinning method. In this study, the coaxial electrospinning using the double injectors technique was applied for investigating the processing parameters for the PVA/Nigella seed oil solutions affecting the core/shell nanofiber morphology. Results showed that the processing parameters, such as the flow rate, voltage difference and solution concentration had significant effects on the core/shell nanofiber morphology. Nanofiber morphologies were characterized using SEM-Scanning Electron Microscopy techniques.

Electrospinning-based (bio)sensors for food and agricultural applications: A review 2021-03-18

Sensors and biosensors for monitoring food traceability, quality, safety, and nutritional value are of outmost importance nowadays. Electrospinning, a simple, straightforward and versatile technique to fabricate 1D micro- and nanomaterials, is among the most potential strategies to further advance the development of chemical (bio)sensors. Electrospun nanofibers are capable of improving several attributes of chemical (bio)sensors due to the high specific surface area, high porosity and 1-D confinement characteristics. Furthermore, the possibility to buildup multifunctional nanostructures by functionalizing the nanofiber surface with a wide range of distinct nanomaterials (such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanoparticles and conjugated polymers), enhances the (bio)sensing capabilities through additional properties and synergistic effects. In this review, we outline the representative progress in the last decade on the development of multifunctional hybrid electrospun nanofibers of varie

Fabrication and luminescence of BiPO4:Tb3+/Ce3+ nanofibers by electrospinning 2021-03-18

BiPO4:Tb3+/Ce3+ nanofibers are synthesized by a simple electrospinning process and followed by a calcination treatment. The nanofibers are characterized by TG-DSC, XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, and spectrophotometer. The calcined BiPO4:Tb3+/Ce3+ nanofibers have a monoclinic phase and the diameters are in the range of 80–200 nm. The SEM and TEM images show that the nanofibers are mesoporous and composed of lots of linked nanoparticles. Under an excitation at 369 nm, BiPO4:Tb3+ and BiPO4:Tb3+/Ce3+ nanofibers show characteristic emission bands originating from the 5D4 → 7Fj (j = 6, 5, 4, and 3) transitions of Tb3+ ions. The luminescent properties of BiPO4:Tb3+ indicate that the quenching concentration for Tb3+ ions in BiPO4 host is about 15 mol%. The co-doped Ce3+ ions can improve the emission intensity through the energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ ions.

Electrospun fibers based on polyvinyl pyrrolidone/Eu-polyethylene glycol as phase change luminescence materials 2021-03-18

In this study, luminescent electrospun nanofibers based on polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)/Eu-PEG were prepared through the materials processing technique of electrospinning as an innovative type of phase change materials (PCMs). Eu-PEG phase-change luminescent material was prepared by coordinating rare earth Eu3+ ions with the carboxylate groups of a PEG modified by two terephthalic acid groups. The morphology and thermal properties of the composite fibers were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The average diameter of PVP/Eu-PEG composite fibers measured from SEM images increased gradually with increasing PEG molecular weight. The fluorescence spectra of the prepared fibers were investigated. The results show that the PVP/Eu-PEG material has both good phase change properties and excellent luminescent properties.

High luminescent fibers with hybrid SiO2-coated CdTe nanocrystals fabricated by electrospinning technique 2021-03-18

The polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) hybrid luminescent micro-/nanofibers doped with the novel hybrid SiO2-coated CdTe nanocrystals (HS-CdTe NCs) have been fabricated for the first time via the electrospinning technique. The morphologies and photoluminescence (PL) emissions of HS-CdTe/PVP micro-/nanofibers prepared by doping the HS-CdTe NCs with the different PL peak wavelength (571, 616, and 643 nm) in PVP fibers were investigated by optical and PL microscope. The results revealed that all the HS-CdTe/PVP hybrid fibers showed an ultralong length for several hundreds of micrometers and a relatively uniform diameter of 1000 ∼ 1200 nm. The hybrid fibers displayed a wavelength-tunable PL emission, determining by the PL of doped HS-CdTe NCs. Moreover, similar to the original PL properties of HS-CdTe NCs before the electrospinning, the HS-CdTe/PVP fibers also showed a series of superior PL properties, such as narrow and symmetry PL spectrum, high, and uniform brightness. For comparison purpose, w

Luminescent polymethacrylate composite nanofibers containing a benzoic acid rare earth complex: Morphology and luminescence properties 2021-03-18

In this study, we systematically investigated the morphologies and luminescence properties of luminescent polymethacrylate composite nanofibers containing a benzoic acid rare earth complex. The analysis results indicated that the benzoic acid rare earth complex, Tb(4-methylbenzoic acid)3phen, was distributed uniformly in the polymethacrylate nanofibers, which were fabricated by electrostatic spinning. The Tb(4-methylbenzoic acid)3phen content in the polymethacrylate nanofibers was as high as 20% (mass%). The emission peaks of the as-prepared polymethacrylate composite nanofibers corresponded to the characteristic 5D4–7F6, 5, 4, 3 transitions of Tb3+ ions. The highest emission peak was observed at 548 nm and corresponded to the 5D4–7F5 transition. When the Tb(4-methylbenzoic acid)3phen content was less than 1%, even a 0.2% increase in the content increased the fluorescence intensity markedly. The thermal stability of the rare earth complex was higher in the as-prepared nanofibers; the i

Water-soluble luminescent‐electrical‐magnetic trifunctional composite nanofibers prepared via electrospinning technique 2021-03-18

Water-soluble PF-Na/Fe3O4/PVA luminescent–electrical–magnetic trifunctional composite nanofibers were successfully fabricated by electrospinning. It was found that the average diameter of as-prepared composite nanofibers was 204 nm. The samples emitted a bright blue fluorescence under UV–illumination and the maximum excitation and emission wavelengths of photoluminescence for the composite nanofibers were about 350 nm and 416 nm, respectively. Magnetic hysteresis loops confirmed that the composite nanofibers possess superparamagnetic properties and showed a high saturated magnetization (Ms=9.7 emµ/g) at room temperature. The composite nanofibers exhibited excellent luminescent, electrical and magnetic properties. In addition, they have good biocompatibility and low toxicity. The luminescent–electrical–magnetic trifunctional composite nanofibers have great potential in the biomedical field applications and photoelectric devices.

Academic News