With manual stacking or rolling of membrane, a 3D nanofibrous structure can be buildup given sufficient layers. Another way of stacking up the fibers is to use a mechanical roller to wind the fiber layer until sufficient thickness is achieved. Andric et al attempt to replicate bone osteon by winding electrospun nanofibers around a strand of microfiber. Using this method, concentric layers of nanofibers up to a cross-sectional diameter of 200 um to 600 um were formed with the microfiber at its core [Andric et al 2011].
To further take advantage of the fiber stacking using a roller, a roller moving in the transverse direction may be used to collect nanofibrous yarn. The resultant 3D structure will have controllable pore size in the hundred of micrometer range. Heat treatment [Leung et al 2012] may be used to fuse the fibers so that the resultant structure is stable. Using a static water collector for deposition of fibers, Shang et al (2010) draw the fibers off the water surface and successfully constructed a mesh comprising of parallel and cross-aligned fibrous poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA).
Combination of electrospun nanofibrous yarn and thin nanofiber layering has also been constructed to take advantage of the quicker build-up of depth with nanofibrous yarn. Yang et al (2014) used a funnel collector with a sharp edge to collect electrospun poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone)/silk fibroin blend fibers which is simultaneously drawn onto a take-up collector. The sharp edge of the funnel reduces the contact and adhesion between the fibers and the solid substrate which makes it easier for the fibers to be transferred onto a take-up collector without breaking. With the electrospinning jet placed between the funnel collector and the yarn take-up collector, some stray fibers were deposited on the yarn on the traversing take-up collector. This creates a 3D scaffold comprising of nanofibrous yarn with inter-connecting nanofibers.
▼ Reference
- Andric T, Sampson A C, Freeman J W. Fabrication and characterization of electrospun osteon mimicking scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Materials Science and Engineering C 2011; 31: 2.
- Leung L H, Fan S, Naguib H E. Fabrication of 3D Electrospun Structures from Poly(lactide-co-glycolide acid)-Nano-Hydroxyapatite Composites. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phy 2012; 50: 242.
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Shang S, Yang F, Chen X, Walboomers X F, Jansen J A. The Effect of Electrospun Fibre alignment on the behavior of Rat Periodontal Ligament Cells. European Cells and Materials 2010; 19: 180.
Open Access
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Yang C, Deng G, Chen W, Ye X, Mo X. A novel electrospun-aligned nanoyarn-reinforced nanofibrousscaffold for tendon tissue engineering. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 2014; 122: 270.
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