Sponge-like wet electrospun polycaprolactone fibres

Abstract

Polycaprolactone biocompatible and biodegradable fibrous materials with hierarchically-structured fibres provide appropriate materials for medical applications. Wet electrospinning is used to produce structured fibrous materials with specific properties. Via the careful choice of the polymer, solvent system and collector liquid, it is possible to produce unusual fibre shapes and structures. In general, wet electrospinning produces bulky structures. Moreover, by using a combination of a liquid collector containing a mixture of a non-solvent and a partial solvent, it is possible to obtain large internal porosity sponge-like fibres and tubular hollow fibres with porous walls. This article presents optimized material parameters and the respective electrospinning production process parameters for this production approach, as well as an analysis of the material via scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry.