Developing high strength poly(L-lactic acid) nanofiber yarns for biomedical textile materials: A comparative study of novel nanofiber yarns and traditional microfiber yarns

Abstract

Developing ultra-strong and biocompatible nanofiber yarns for biomedical textile materials remains major challenges. Here, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanofiber yarns (NYs) were fabricated by using a modified electrospinning apparatus with a integration function of yarn formation and thermal stretching. Due to the highly-aligned nanofibrous structure and obviously increased crystallinity, the as-prepared PLLA NYs exhibited exciting mechanical properties, which matched those of commercial PLLA microfiber yarns (MYs). The biological tests demonstrated that the braided fabrics made from PLLA NYs presented obviously enhanced biocompatibility than those made from PLLA MYs, by significantly promoting the survival, adhesion and proliferation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs). We hope that these results provide new insights for the future development of nanofibrous bio-textiles for commercial applications.