Phase-change core/shell structured nanofibers based on eicosane/poly(vinylidene fluoride) for thermal storage applications

We fabricated eicosane/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) core/shell nanofibers by melt coaxial electrospinning as potential heat-storage applications. Eicosane, a hydrocarbon with melting point near the human body temperature and high latent heat, was chosen as the core material. Melted eicosane and PVDF solutions were coaxially electrospun using a double spinneret, in which melted eicosane was fed at 0.090–0.210 mL/h while the feeding rate of PVDF solution was maintained constant at 1.500 mL/h. The applied voltage and working distance were maintained constant at 12 kV and 17 cm, respectively. Good core/shell structure of nanofibers was observed at core feed rates of 0.090–0.180mL/h by transmission electron microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis values indicated good thermal stability and high energy-storage capacity of the obtained nanofibers. The highest amount of eicosane encapsulated in the electrospun core/shell nanofibers reached 32.5 wt% at core feed rate 0.180 mL/h and had a latent heat of 77 J/g at melting point 39.2 °C. These shape-stabilized core/shell composite nanofibers showed good thermoregulating properties and had sufficiently high tensile strength for potential energy-storage applications, especially in smart textiles.     

Coaxial electrospinning of PC(shell)/PU(core) composite nanofibers for textile application

Functional core–shell structured composite nanofibers can be fabricated through electrospinning of two polymer solutions in a coaxial, two‐capillary spinneret system. Composite nanofibers, polycarbonate (PC, shell)/polyurethane (PU, core), have been developed by this technique. Morphological, structural, infrared spectroscopy, and mechanical performance are conducted for the developed nanofibers. Their applications as textile materials have been explored. POLYM. COMPOS. 27:381–387, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Controllable Aligned Nanofiber Hybrid Yarns with Enhanced Bioproperties for Tissue Engineering

Electrospun nanofibers have large surface area, high porosity, and controllable orientation while conventional microfibers have appropriate mechanical properties such as stiffness, strength, and elasticity. Therefore, the combination of nanofibers and microfibers can provide building elements to engineer biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, a core–shell structured fibrous structure with controllable surface topography is created by electrospinning polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers onto polyglycolic acid (PGA) microfibers. The surface morphology, surface wettability, and mechanical properties of the resultant core–shell structure are characterized. FE‐SEM images reveal that the orientation of PCL nanofibers on the yarn surface can be tuned by a fiber collector and rotating disks. Benefiting from the introduction of a shell of aligned PCL nanofibers on the core of PGA yarn, the uniaxially aligned PCL nanofiber–covered yarns (A‐PCLs) exhibit higher hydrophilicity, porosity, and mechanical properties than the core PGA yarns. Moreover, A‐PCLs promote the adhesion and proliferation of BALB/3T3 (mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line), and guide cell growth along the biotopographic cues of the PCL nanofibers with controllable alignment. The developed core–shell yarn having both the desired surface topography of PCL nanofibers and mechanical properties of PGA microfibers demonstrates great potential in constructing various tissue scaffolds.     

Using poly[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] as shell to fabricate the highly fluorescent nanofibers by coaxial electrospinning

Poly[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) is an excellent conjugated polymer and broadly used in the polymer photoelectron devices, but difficult to be electronspun directly. In the present study, the core-shell structured nanofibers were fabricated by coaxial electrospinning MEH-PPV (shell) in chlorobenzene and PVP (core) in 1,2-dichloroethane. MEH-PPV was soluble in the above two solvents, which prevented the precipitation of MEH-PPV and enhanced the adhering action between the two polymers in coaxial electrospinning process. We anticipate that these uniform core/shell PVP/MEH-PPV nanofibers with highly fluorescent property will have potential applications in the fabrication of polymer nano-photoelectron devices.     

Fabrication of Core/Shell Nanofibers with Desirable Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties by Pickering Emulsion Electrospinning

To endow nanofibers with the desirable antibacterial and mechanical properties, a facile strategy using Pickering emulsion (PE) electrospinning is proposed to prepare functional nanofibers with core/shell structure for the first time. The water‐in‐oil (W/O) Pickering emulsion stabilized by oleic acid (OA)‐coated magnetite iron oxide nanoparticles (OA‐MIONs) is comprised of aqueous vancomycin hydrochloride (Van) solution and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) solution. The core/shell structure of the electrospun Van/OA‐MIONs‐PLA nanofibers is confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observation. Sustained release of Van from the PE electrospun nanofiber membrane is achieved within the time of 600 h. Compared with the neat PLA electrospun nanofiber membrane, 57% increase of tensile strength and 36% elevation of elongation at break are achieved on PE electrospun nanofiber membrane. In addition, the PE electrospun nanofiber membrane demonstrates excellent antibacterial property stemming from the combinational antibacterial activities of OA‐MIONs and Van. The Van‐loaded PE electrospinning nanofibers with sustained antibacterial performance possess potential applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery.

     

Electrospun core–shell nanofibers for drug encapsulation and sustained release

Fabrication of core–shell nanofibers by coaxial electrospinning system suited for drug delivery applications was investigated based on tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) as the core and poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) as the shell materials. Comparison of drug release from monolithic fibers (blend electrospinning) and core–shell structures was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the core–shell morphology. The nanofibrous webs are potentially interesting for wound healing purposes since they can be maintained for an adequate length of time to gradually disinfect a local area without the need of bandage renewal. Further, our studies showed the potential of core–shell nanostructures for sustained drug release, which also suppressed the burst release effect from 62 to 44% in the first 3 hours by adding only 1 wt% TCH to the polymeric shell. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Needleless emulsion electrospinning for scalable fabrication of core–shell nanofibers

This article reports a new needleless emulsion electrospinning method for scale‐up fabrication of ultrathin core–shell polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) fibers. These core–shell fibers can be incorporated at the interfaces of polymer composites for interfacial toughening and self‐repairing due to polymerization of IPDI triggered by environmental moisture. The electrospinnable PAN/IPDI emulsion was prepared by blending PAN/N,N‐dimethylformamide and IPDI/N,N‐dimethylformamide solutions (with the solute mass fraction of 1 : 1). The electrospinning setup consisted of a pair of aligned metal wires as spinneret (positive electrode) to infuse the PAN/IPDI emulsion and a rotary metal disk as fiber collector (negative electrode). The formed ultrathin core–shell PAN/IPDI fibers were collected with the diameter in the range from 300 nm to 3 μm depending on the solution concentration and process parameters. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the core–shell nanostructures. Dependencies of the fiber diameter on the PAN/IPDI concentration, wire spacing, and wire diameter were examined. Results show that needleless emulsion electrospinning provides a feasible low‐cost manufacturing technique for scalable, continuous fabrication of core–shell nanofibers for potential applications in self‐repairing composites, drug delivery, etc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40896.     

Evaluation of PCL/chitosan electrospun nanofibers for liver tissue engineering

In this investigation, a nanofibrous scaffold was fabricated through electrospinning of polycaprolactone (PCL) and chitosan (CS) using a novel collector to make better orientation and pore size for cell infiltration. PCL/CS nanofibers with 90-rpm collector speed and 40° angle between collector wires of the new collector have fewer diameters with better pore, size and nanofibers orientation. Mechanical properties, roughness parameters, topology, structure, hydrophilicity, and cell growing were considered for liver tissue engineering. The cell culture was done using epithelial liver mouse cells. The developed electrospun PCL/CS scaffold using novel collector would be an excellent matrix for biomedical applications especially liver tissue engineering.     

含纳米铝粉的纳米NC纤维的制备

为了克服纳米铝粉在推进剂使用过程中分散不均匀的问题,采用静电纺丝技术制备了材料表面光滑、直径均匀、且纳米铝粉分散均匀的纳米NC纤维.用扫描电镜研究了含水率、溶液浓度、电压和挤出速率对纤维形态和直径的影响,得到静电纺丝最佳工艺条件:含水率为10%～15%,NC纺丝液质量分数5%～10%,电压25～30kV,挤出速率0.5...     

聚己内酯/壳聚糖核壳结构纤维引导组织再生膜的制备及表征

高性能的引导组织再生膜是牙周引导组织再生术成功的关键,静电纺丝法因可仿生制备类细胞外基质结构,在引导组织再生膜研制方面显示出巨大潜力。本研究通过同轴静电纺丝法,以聚己内酯（PCL）为核层,壳聚糖（CS）为壳层,制备核壳结构的纳米纤维,并用香草醛对制备的纤维膜进行交联。利用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、X 射线衍射（XRD）、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、力学测试及细胞培养等手段对制备的纤维膜进行形貌、内部结构、化学组成、力学性能和细胞相容性表征。结构分析表明本研究成功制备了核壳结构的PCL-CS纤维膜。力学测试和亲疏水性测试结果表明交联后的纤维膜具有较好的耐水性和力学性能,断裂强度高出文献报道值近两倍;体外细胞培养结果显示MG-63细胞能在交联后的纤维膜上黏附和持续增殖,表明纤维膜具有较好的细胞相容性,在引导组织再生领域有较好的应用前景。     

Development of an encapsulated phase change material via emulsion and coaxial electrospinning

This article reports on the encapsulation of a phase change material (PCM) into a hydrophilic polymer, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH), by means of electrospinning. Different strategies were carried out to improve the thermal buffering capacity and the stability of the developed structures when they were exposed to different relative humidity (RH) conditions. On the one hand, the thermal energy storage capacity of PVOH/PCM structures obtained through emulsion electrospinning was optimized by using different amounts of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaureate (Tween 20). Surfactant addition successfully increased the heat storage capacity of the developed structures, reaching an optimum performance at a concentration of 0.32% in weight with respect to the total emulsion weight. However, the hydrophilic nature of the developed structures made them extremely difficult to handle due to swelling with increasing RH. To avoid this issue an additional shell layer of poly(caprolactone) (PCL), was applied by coaxial electrospinning. In this case, the PVOH/PCM ratio (core) was optimized to reach the highest heat storage capacity per gram of sample and, then, a PCL solution was used as a shell material to hydrophobize the structures. The optimized coaxial electrospun structures were able to encapsulate about 82% of PCM. The use of both emulsion and coaxial electrospinning strategies are introduced here for the first time as advanced strategies to overcome application issues such as unintended migration and performance drop in the previously developed monophase materials. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43903.     

Influence of structure on release profile of acyclovir loaded polyurethane nanofibers: Monolithic and core/shell structures

In this study, monolithic and core/shell polyurethane (PU) nanofibers were fabricated by single and coaxial electrospinning techniques, respectively. An antivirus drug, Acyclovir (ACY), was loaded on PU nanofibers. The physical condition and interaction of the loaded ACY within these nanofibers were studied by FTIR, XRD, DSC, SEM, and TEM. In vitro tests exhibited an obvious difference in the release pattern between monolithic and core/shell nanofibers and burst release in monolithic nanofibers could be controlled by core/shell structure. Release profile was found to follow Korsmeyere‐Peppas model with Fickian diffusion mechanism. Our study demonstrated that the ACY‐loaded core/shell nanofibers might serve as a device for drug delivery systems. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44073.     

Preparation of electrospun nanofibers of carbon nanotube/polycaprolactone nanocomposite

Multiwalled carbon nanotube/polycaprolactone nanocomposites (MWNT/PCL) were prepared by in situ polymerization, whereby functionalized MWNTs (F-MWNTs) and unfunctionalized MWNTs (P-MWNTs) were used as reinforcing materials. The F-MWNTs were functionalized by Friedel-Crafts acylation, which introduced the aromatic amine (COC₆H₄-NH₂) groups on the side wall. The F-MWNTs were chemically bonded with the PCL chains in the F-MWNT/PCL, as indicated by the appearance of the amide II group in the FT-IR spectrum. The TGA thermograms showed that the F-MWNT/PCL had better thermal stability than PCL and P-MWNT/PCL. The PCL and the nanocomposite nanofibers were prepared by an electrospinning technique. The nanocomposites that contain more than 2 wt% of MWNTs were not able to be electrospun. The bead of the F-MWNT/PCL nanofiber was formed less than that of the P-MWNT/PCL. The nanocomposite nanofibers showed a relatively broader diameter than the pure PCL nanofibers. The MWNTs were embedded within the nanofibers and were well oriented along the axes of the electrospun nanofibers, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy.     

Recent advances in core/shell bicomponent fibers and nanofibers: A review

There has been a steady progress in developing synthetic fibers in the past few years. Bicomponent fibers and nanofibers in a core/shell (C/S) configuration, including two dissimilar materials have presented unusual potential for use in many novel applications. These fibers can be produced using a variety of materials via different techniques i.e., coaxial melt spinning and electrospinning. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in C/S fibers and nanofibers’ production. The first part has been assigned to the bicomponent fibers manufacturing technology, while production and applications of C/S nanofibers have been described in the second part. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46265.     

Thermochromic core–shell nanofibers fabricated by melt coaxial electrospinning

Microcapsule/nanocapsule and encapsulation techniques have great potential for devices of functional materials. Also, electrospinning has attracted great attention for the fabrication of microstructures and nanostructures. The fluidity after melting limits the application of phase‐transformation thermochromic materials. In this study, with the melt coaxial electrospinning technique, a phase‐transformation thermochromic material was encapsulated in poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofibers. A device of this phase‐transformation thermochromic material was realized. With a poly(methyl methacrylate) shell with good optical transmission and a thermoresponsive core made of crystal violet lactone, bisphenol A, and 1‐tetradecanol core, the fibers had good thermal energy management, fluorescent thermochromism, and reversibility. The fabrication of thermochromic core–shell nanofibers has further potential in the preparation of temperature sensors with good fluorescence signals and body‐temperature calefactive materials with intelligent thermal energy absorption, retention, and release. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Electrospun coaxial microfiber-based water detecting sensor using expansion pressure mechanism

We fabricated a water-detecting sensor using an electrospun coaxial microfiber. Polydiacetylene (PDA) was used as the color-change material, and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as the core material. Although several polymeric materials have been used as shell materials, the water-detecting sensor was fabricated only using polycaprolactone (PCL). When the core material (PEO or PVA) comes in contact with water, it expands, changing the color of the PDA in the shell from blue to red on account of the stress due to the expansion of the core material. Selecting a suitable polymer for the shell is essential for sensor operation. The elastic property of PCL is crucial for the sensor fabrication. The solvent of the electrospinning core material also affected the properties of the sensor. The rate of color change was controlled using the thickness of the core and shell of the coaxial microfibers, and the fastest observed time was 53 s.     

Flurbiprofen axetil loaded coaxial electrospun poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)–nanopoly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) core–shell composite nanofibers: Preparation,characterization, and anti‐adhesion activity

Flurbiprofen axetil (FA)‐loaded coaxial electrospun poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)–nanopoly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) core–shell composite nanofibers were successfully fabricated by a facile coaxial electrospinning, and an electrospun drug‐loaded system was formed for anti‐adhesion applications. The FA, which is a kind of lipid microsphere nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug, was shown to be successfully adsorbed in the PVP, and the formed poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA)/PVP/FA composite nanofibers exhibited a uniform and smooth morphology. The cell viability assay and cell morphology observation revealed that the formed PLGA/PVP/FA composite nanofibers were cytocompatible. Importantly, the loaded FA within the PLGA/PVP coaxial nanofibers showed a sustained‐release profile and anti‐adhesion activity to inhibit the growth of the IEC‐6 and NIH3T3 model cells. With the significantly reduced burst‐release profile, good cytocompatibility, and anti‐adhesion activity, the developed PLGA/PVP/FA composite nanofibers were proposed to be a promising material in the fields of tissue engineering and pharmaceutical science. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41982.     

Degradation and Mechanical Behavior of Fish Gelatin/Polycaprolactone AC Electrospun Nanofibrous Meshes

With the increasing interest in biopolymer nanofibers for diverse applications, the characterization of these materials in the physiological environment has become of equal interest and importance. This study performs first-time simulated body fluid (SBF) degradation and tensile mechanical analyses of blended fish gelatin (FGEL) and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous meshes prepared by a high-throughput free-surface alternating field electrospinning. The thermally crosslinked FGEL/PCL nanofibrous materials with 84–96% porosity and up to 60 wt% PCL fraction demonstrate mass retention up to 88.4% after 14 days in SBF. The trends in the PCL crystallinity and FGEL secondary structure modification during the SBF degradation are analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Tensile tests of such porous, 0.1–2.2 mm thick FGEL/PCL nanofibrous meshes in SBF reveal the ultimate tensile strength, Young's modulus, and elongation at break within the ranges of 60–105 kPa, 0.3–1.6 MPa, and 20–70%, respectively, depending on the FGEL/PCL mass ratio. The results demonstrate that FGEL/PCL nanofibrous materials prepared from poorly miscible FGEL and PCL can be suitable for selected biomedical applications such as scaffolds for skin, cranial cruciate ligament, articular cartilage, or vascular tissue repair.     

Core‐Sheath Structure in Electrospun Nanofibers from Polymer Blends

Summary: Electrospinning of polymer blends offers the potential to prepare functional nanofibers for use in a variety of applications. This work focused on control of the internal morphology of nanofibers prepared by electrospinning polymer blends to obtain core‐sheath structures. Polybutadiene/polystyrene, poly(methylmethacrylate)/polystyrene, polybutadiene/poly(methylmethacrylate), polybutadiene/polycarbonate, polyaniline/polycarbonate, and poly(methylmethacrylate)/polycarbonate blends were electrospun from polymer solutions. It was found that the formation of core‐sheath structures depends on both thermodynamic and kinetic factors. Incompatibility and large solubility parameter difference of the two polymers is helpful for good phase separation, but not sufficient for the formation of core‐sheath structures. Kinetic factors, however, play a much more important role in the development of the nanofiber morphology. During the electrospinning process, the rapid solvent evaporation requires systems with high molecular mobility for the formation of core‐sheath structures. It was found that polymer blends with lower molecular weight tend to form core‐sheath structures rather than co‐continuous structures, as a result of their higher molecular mobility. Rheological factors also affect the internal phase morphology of nanofibers. It was observed the composition with higher viscosity was always located at the center and the composition with lower viscosity located outside.

TEM image of electrospun polybutadiene/polycarbonate nanofibers at 25/75 wt.‐% ratio after staining by osmium tetroxide. The dark regions are polybutadiene and the light region is polycarbonate.     

Bipolymer nanofibers: Engineering nanoscale interface via bubble electrospinning

Modern applications in biomedicine, drug delivery, and tissue engineering demand versatile materials capable of meeting multifaceted requirements. Conventional mono-functional materials fall short of addressing these complex demands. To tackle this challenge, this study introduces an innovative approach utilizing bubble electrospinning for the fabrication of bipolymeric side-by-side nanofibers. These nanofibers incorporate distinct hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains aligned parallel to their axis, achieved through the electrospinning of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the hydrophilic component, alongside either poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or Nylon6 as the hydrophobic component. The optimal diameter of the bubble electrospinning reservoir was theoretically determined via simulation of electric field using Maxwell 3D software and experimentally validated. Successful electrospinning resulted in nanofibers with hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains derived from PVA/Nylon6 and PVA/PCL polymer combinations. This innovative process yielded nanofibers with diameters as fine as 101 nm in the PVA/Nylon6 bipolymeric nanofibers. Transmission electron microscopy images provide compelling insights into the distinct interfaces formed during polymer-polymer interactions within the nanofibers, manifesting the Janus structure. Furthermore, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirms the presence of both polymers within the nanofiber matrix. This research represents a significant advancement in the efficient production of bipolymer nanofibers, holding promise for a wide range of applications.