Electrospinner: Fabrication of highly porous, ultralight, biocompatible triboelectric nanogenerators based on silk fibroin aerogel

Research content and innovation

This study prepared a new type of biological patch composed of polylactic acid (PLA) and silk fibroin (SF) by electrospinning technology for repairing abdominal wall hernia. This PLA-SF composite biological hernia patch was successfully prepared when the ratio of electrospinning PLA to SF was 8:2

Physical and chemical evaluation

The PLA-SF patch was physically and chemically evaluated by swelling experiments, degradation experiments, scanning electron microscopy experiments and stress-strain tests. The results showed that the PLA-SF patch has good physical properties, biocompatibility and low production cost

Performance characteristics

The TENG containing porous SF aerogel showed the best output performance at 3% SF concentration, achieving a maximum open circuit voltage of 365 V, a maximum short circuit current of 11.8 μA and a maximum power density of 7.52 W/m². Compared with the TENG based on SF film, the voltage of the TENG based on SF aerogel increased significantly by 6.5 times and the current increased by 4.5 times

Electrical and structural characteristics

The main factor affecting the output electrical performance of SF aerogel-based TENG is the specific surface area of ​​the friction layer. SF aerogel with a concentration of 3% was selected as the positive friction layer of TENG because the output performance reached the maximum value at this concentration

Monitoring microphysiological activities

TENG prepared based on SF aerogel can realize real-time monitoring of electrical signals generated by different joints of the human body, accurately determine the moving body parts, and show the potential as a self-powered health monitor

Conclusion and application potential

PLA-SF mesh has superior physical and chemical properties and biocompatibility, promotes cell proliferation and tissue remodeling through the TGF-β1/Smad pathway, reduces the expression of fibrotic molecules, and leads to less adhesion. Therefore, it is a patch with clinical application potential

Relationship with electrospinning technology

Electrospinning technology plays a huge role in the preparation of biomedical materials, filtration and protection, catalysis, energy, optoelectronics and other fields. Especially in the field of biomedicine, nanofibers can simulate the structure and biological function of natural extracellular matrix for the repair of tissues and organs. In this study, the PLA-SF composite biological patch prepared by electrospinning technology took advantage of the advantages of electrospinning technology in preparing nanofibers, simulated extracellular matrix, promoted cell proliferation and tissue remodeling, and demonstrated potential applications in abdominal wall hernia repair.

In summary, this study successfully prepared a new type of PLA-SF composite biological patch using electrospinning technology, which not only performed well in physical properties and biocompatibility, but also showed great potential in practical applications, especially in the field of abdominal wall hernia repair.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://pubs.acs.org/10.1021/acssensors.4c00401