Abstract
Microporous, non-woven nylon 6 (N6) scaffolds were prepared with an air jet spinning (AJS) approach. In this process, polymer fibers with diameters down to the nanometer range (nanofibers) were formed by subjecting a fluid jet to high pressure air. The effects of the solution conditions on the morphological appearance and average diameter of the as-spun N6 fibers and crystal structure were investigated. The morphological properties of the AJS membrane mats could easily be tailored by adjusting the concentration of the polymer solution. Solutions at high concentrations were necessary to form well-defined fibers without beads. The production rate (viz. solvent evaporation rate) had the greatest effect on the chain structure conformation of N6. The predominant structure phase of the N6 fibers fabricated by AJS was a thermodynamically stable α-form while the electrospinning fibers induced the metastable γ-form. AJS significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the N6 mat. The bone formation ability of AJS fibers was evaluated by incubating the fibers in biomimetic simulated body fluid for 5 and 10 days at 37 °C. Overall, the new AJS approach developed for membrane structures has great potential for the fabrication of hard and soft tissue engineering scaffolds.
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