Abstract
Electrospinning and polymer blending have been the focus of research and the industry for their versatility, scalability, and potential applications across many different fields. In tissue engineering, nanofiber scaffolds composed of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a mixture of both have been reported. This review reports recent advances in polymer blended scaffolds for tissue engineering and the fabrication of functional scaffolds by electrospinning. A brief theory of electrospinning and the general setup as well as modifications used are presented. Polymer blends, including blends with natural polymers, synthetic polymers, mixture of natural and synthetic polymers, and nanofiller systems, are discussed in detail and reviewed.
Highlights
The field of tissue engineering involves the fabrication of artificial tissues, artificial organs, and tissue regeneration [1]
The modifications made to the electrospinning apparatus help in adapting the process to fabricate scaffolds with a single polymer or several blended polymers or through multiple inputs
Blends between natural and synthetic polymers and the use of nanofiller systems have been used to demonstrate the fabrication of mechanical, surface, biochemical, and electrical properties, which are impossible to obtain through any single polymer
Summary
The field of tissue engineering involves the fabrication of artificial tissues, artificial organs, and tissue regeneration [1]. It is necessary to mimic the natural microenvironment This includes the mechanical properties, such as topography, architecture, elasticity, and stiffness, and biochemical factors, such as surface chemistry, growth factors, and cytokines. This need for mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM) has driven the design of novel biomaterials and fabrication techniques. Polyblending or polymer blending is an effective strategy to blend polymers by incorporating the unique properties of the component polymers or to create novel materials [16]. The advantage of electrospinning is that functional nanofibers can be fabricated from both miscible and immiscible blends. We will focus on the fabrication of functional scaffolds through the preparation of novel polymer blends and electrospinning. The different polymer blends and the method of fabrication are discussed in detail in the later sections
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