Electrospinning is a technique used for processing polymer solution or melts into continuous nanofibers by the application of a strong electric field. A multi-axial electrospinning approach has been used to fabricate core-shell and multilayer structured nanofibers. Solutions of several biodegradable polymers, including poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin have been delivered individually to different channels of the triaxial electrospinning setup.  The solution parameters, miscibility, viscosity, conductivity and solvent vapor pressure have been investigated in order to choose a specific electrospinning protocol. The resulting nanofibers were microtomed, then stained with OsO4 and finally characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).  In addition, high speed confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to reveal the core-shell and multi-layer structure. The results provide a basis for the preparation of multi-layer structured nanofibers, which have potential applications in tissue engineering and drug release.

Preparation and characterization of coaxial and triaxial electrospinning of biodegradable polymers

244th National Meeting (2012)

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