Abstract
Green electrospinning has attracted great interest since non-toxic solvents were shown to be applicable in the fabrication of fibrous materials while ensuring health safety and environmental protection. Less harmful reagents such as acetone (AC) and acetic acid (AA) have been employed in this field in recent years. However, research in this area is still rare, yielding only preliminary results. In this study, two different types of solvents (pure AC and an AA/AC mixture) were used to fabricate electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes. Sample morphology, wettability, tensile strength, and chemical composition were compared between two types of membranes. Cell–scaffold interaction was also examined by cell adhesion and proliferation assays. The results demonstrate that the two types of solvents had significant effects on membrane morphology, physical strength, and cell adherence behaviors, which should be considered for different application purposes.
Highlights
Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes have been broadly applied in biomedical engineering due to their excellent biocompatibility, high mechanical strength, and slow degradation rate [1,2]
PCL pellets were dissolved in pure AC and in a mixture of acetic acid (AA)/AC at a ratio of 7:3 v/v
Fiber diameter and pore size of the PCL membranes were determined by Scanning Electron
Summary
Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes have been broadly applied in biomedical engineering due to their excellent biocompatibility, high mechanical strength, and slow degradation rate [1,2]. Common solvents used to dissolve PCL pellets for electrospinning include dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform These types of solvent are extensively employed because they are considered good solvents for obtaining a fine membrane morphology (bead-free and smooth fibers) and avoiding clogging at the needle tip, which is ideal for automatic operation and massive production [3]. These solvents are extremely devastating to human health and harmful to the living environment [4,5]. The use of AA in solvents to dissolve PCL can allow the co-electrospinning of PCL and natural polymers such as chitosan [9], gelatin [10], and collagen [11] using only one single homogenous electrospinning solution rather than two solutions, because these polymers are
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