Abstract
Due to the non-uniform material properties of electrospun nanofibrous mats and the non-linear characteristics of single fibers, establishing a numerical model that can fully explain these features and correctly describe their properties is difficult. Based on the microstructure of electrospun nanofibrous mats, two macroscopic continuum finite element (FE) models with a uniform or oriented nanofiber distribution were established to describe the mechanical behavior of nanofibrous mats under biaxial tension. The FE models were verified by biaxial tension experiments on silk fibroin/polycaprolactone nanofibrous mats. The developed FE models expressed the mechanical behaviors of the mats under biaxial tension well. These models can help clarify the structure–property relationship of electrospun nanofibrous mats and guide the design of materials for engineering applications.
Highlights
Electrospun nanofibrous mats have a special fiber structure composed of continuous layers of numerous and long micro/nanofibers
The purpose of this study is to analyze the mechanical response of electrospun nanofibrous mats under biaxial tension and to develop a simple and effective finite element (FE) model
Regenerated silk fibroin (SF) nanofibers obtained by electrostatic spinning mainly have a α-helix structure, which is an amorphous structure with poor mechanical properties, making it difficult to meet the requirements of a cell tissue engineering scaffold [32,33,34,35]
Summary
Electrospun nanofibrous mats have a special fiber structure composed of continuous layers of numerous and long micro/nanofibers. When the micro/nanoscale monofilaments are stacked and merge, the final material shows unique performance. Their volume ratio is increased, and the porosity is high. The fiber surface created by the combination of the nanostructure and the connected porous structure is highly suitable for cell adsorption and multiplication. These special structures are beneficial for the field of biological tissue engineering [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The morphological structure of electrospun nanofibrous mats makes them suitable for applications in air or liquid filters [7,8], reinforcing materials [9,10] and sensors [11,12], among others
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