Abstract
Electrospinning is a very simple and versatile process by which polymer nanofibers with di-ameters ranging from a few nanometers to sev-eral micrometers can be produced using an electrostatically driven jet of polymer solution or polymer melt. Significant progress has been made in this process throughout the past few years and electrospinning has advanced its ap-plications in many fields, including pharmaceu-tics. Electrospun nanofibers show great prom-ise for developing many types of novel drug delivery systems (DDS) due to their special characteristics and the simple but useful and effective top-down fabricating process. The current state of electrospun nanofiber-based DDS is focused on drug-loaded nanofiber preparation from pharmaceutical and biode-gradable polymers and different types of DDS. However, there are more opportunities to be exploited from the electrospinning process and the corresponding drug-loaded nanofibers for drug delivery. Additionally, some other related challenges and the possible resolutions are outlined in this review.
Highlights
Electrospinning, firstly reported in 1934, has been used for more than 60 years, and yet is under developed in studying the fabrication of continuous nanofibers
The electric field is applied across the end of the capillary tube that contains the solution fluid held by its surface tension
As the intensity of the electric field is increased, the hemispherical surface of the fluid at the tip of the capillary tube elongates to form a conical shape known as the Taylor cone
Summary
Electrospinning, firstly reported in 1934, has been used for more than 60 years, and yet is under developed in studying the fabrication of continuous nanofibers. In electrospinning a high voltage is used to create an electrically charged jet of polymer solution or melt out of the pipette. The electric field is applied across the end of the capillary tube that contains the solution fluid held by its surface tension. This induces a charge on the surface of the liquid. Functional micro/nano particles may be dispersed in polymer solutions, which are electrospun to form composites in the form of continuous nanofibers and nanofibrous assemblies All these endow electrospinning with outstanding manufacturing capabilities but utilizing an easy process and capable of excellent flexibility. Combined usage of electrospinning with pharmaceutical polymers provides novel strategies for developing novel DDS, and through the manipulation of electrospinning process, may offer flexibility for tailoring DDS’s properties
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