Electrospinning Device: Preparation of silk fibroin electrogel by low voltage electric field

Background

Electrospinning is a method that can prepare nanofibers, which are widely used in the biomedical field due to their unique physical and chemical properties. SF electrogels are prepared under low-voltage electric fields and can also form structures with controllable nanofiber morphology. Both involve the preparation of nanoscale fibers, and electrospinning can provide a way to make SF-based nanofibers with specific morphology and properties.

Regulation of physical and chemical properties

The morphology and properties of the fibers can be regulated by adjusting parameters (such as voltage, distance, solution concentration, etc.) during electrospinning. Similarly, the morphology of SF electrogels is also affected by voltage. The electrohydrogels formed at different voltages have different morphologies, and the speed of electrogel formation increases with increasing voltage. This shows that the physicochemical properties of SF electrogels can be precisely controlled by electrospinning technology to meet specific application requirements.

Transformation of secondary structure

During the electrospinning process, the polymer solution is stretched into fibers, which may cause changes in the secondary structure of the polymer. During the preparation of SF electrogels, the crystal structure of SF changes from random curling to β-folding, and this transformation is crucial for electrogelation. Electrospinning technology may promote this structural transformation and thus improve the performance of SF electrogels.

Drug release system

Electrospinning nanofibers can be used as a drug release system, which is very important for the controlled and sustained release of drugs in SF electrogels. SF electrogels have been used to load cefixime drugs to prevent bacterial or fungal infections during wound healing, showing good drug release characteristics. Electrospinning technology can further optimize this drug loading system, improve the encapsulation efficiency of drugs and control the release rate

Antibacterial activity and cell compatibility

Electrospinning nanofibers can impart antibacterial activity to the material, which is very important for the antibacterial application of SF electrogels. SF electrogels show good antibacterial activity and can effectively promote the rapid self-healing of wounds. In addition, electrospinning technology can improve the cell compatibility of nanofibers, which is very important for the biological applications of SF electrogels, such as tissue engineering and wound healing.

Summary

In summary, the connection between electrospinning technology and SF electrogels is that they can both prepare nanofiber structures with specific morphology and properties, and the physicochemical properties and biological activity of the materials can be optimized by regulating the preparation parameters. These properties make them have broad application prospects in the biomedical field, especially in tissue engineering, drug delivery and wound management.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2020.109401