Fabrication and characterization of chitosan/kefiran electrospun nanofibers for tissue engineering applications

Chitosan (CS)-based nanofibrous scaffolds are very promising in tissue engineering applications. However, electrospinning of CS is not possible unless using toxic solvents such as trifluoroacetic acid or by blending with other polymers. In the present study, we investigated CS-based nanofibers' fabrication by blending it with kefiran as a natural polysaccharide. A series of solutions with various CS to kefiran ratios were prepared and underwent electrospinning. The effects of main process parameters, including applied voltage and needle tip-to-collector distance on nanofibers' diameter and morphology, were also studied. Nanofibers containing 80% CS and 20% Kefiran with an average diameter of 81 ± 17 nm were successfully electrospun. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated the presence of both polymers in blend nanofibers. The diameter of CS/kefiran nanofibers increased with enhanced applied voltage, while needle tip-to-collector distance did not significantly affect the mean diameters. Appropriate viability of l929 cells on the obtained scaffolds was demonstrated utilizing Alamar blue assay. Also, cell attachment onto the fiber surface was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Results indicated that CS/kefiran nanofibrous scaffolds would be promising for tissue engineering applications.     

Protein encapsulated in electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

The main purpose of tissue engineering is the preparation of fibrous scaffolds with similar structural and biochemical cues to the extracellular matrix in order to provide a substrate to support the cells. Controlled release of bioactive agents such as growth factors from the fibrous scaffolds improves cell behavior on the scaffolds and accelerates tissue regeneration. In this study, nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated from biocompatible and biodegradable poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) through the electrospinning technique. Nanofibers with a core–sheath structure encapsulating bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein for hydrophilic bioactive agents were prepared through emulsion electrospinning. The morphology of the nanofibers was evaluated by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and the core–sheath structure of the emulsion electrospun nanofibers was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results of the mechanical properties and X‐ray diffraction are reported. The scaffolds demonstrated a sustained release profile of BSA. Biocompatibility of the scaffolds was evaluated using the MTT (3(4,5‐ dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay for NIH‐3T3 fibroblast cells. The results indicated desirable biocompatibility of the scaffolds with the capability of encapsulation and controlled release of the protein, which can serve as tissue engineering scaffolds. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Creatinine adsorption capacity of electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)‐zeolite nanofiber membranes for potential artificial kidney applications

Innovative dialysis membranes are needed for dialysis, which is the primary treatment for patients with end stage renal disease. In this study, we developed a polyacrylonitrile zeolite nanofiber composite membrane using an electrospinning process to adsorb uremic toxins through molecular sieve mechanism. Scanning electron microscope images revealed that the average diameter of the fiber fabricated with 10 wt % polyacrylonitrile was 673 nm and that of polyacrilonitirle‐zeolite membranes were 277?419 nm. The creatinine adsorption behavior of 500‐KOA (L), 720‐KOA (Farrierite), 840‐NHA (ZSM‐5), and 940‐HOA (Beta) zeolite powders were investigated. Among all the zeolites, 940‐HOA zeolites showed the best performance. The creatinine adsorption capacity of 940‐zeolite powders increased from 2234 µg/g in 50 µmol/L creatinine solution to 25423 µg/g in 625 µmol/L creatinine solution. The speed of adsorption was very quick; 0.025 g of 940‐zeolite powders can eliminate 91% of 2 µmol creatinine in 5 min. The zeolites incorporated inside the membrane had higher creatinine adsorption capacity than free zeolites. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42418.     

Gelatin electrospun nanofibrous matrices for cardiac tissue engineering applications

The generation of in vitro tissue constructs using biomaterials and cardiac cells is a promising strategy for screening novel therapeutics and their effects on cardiac regeneration. Current cardiac mimetic tissue constructs are unable to stably maintain functional characteristics of cardiomyocytes for long-term cultures. The objective of our study was to fabricate and characterize nanofibrous matrices of gelatin for prolonged cultures of primary cardiomyocytes which previously has been used as copolymer or hydrogels. Gelatin nanofibrous matrices were successfully electrospun using a benign binary solvent, cross-linked without swelling and fusing and evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and uniaxial tensile measurement. Scaffolds exhibited modulus 19.6 ± 3.6 kPa similar to native human myocardium tissue with fiber diameters of 200–600 nm and average porosity percentage of 49.9 ± 5.6. Myoblasts showed good cell adhesion and proliferation. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes cultured on gelatin nanofibrous matrices showing synchronized contracting cardiomyocytes (beating) for 27 days were studied by video microscopy. Confocal microscopic analysis of immunofluorescence stained sections indicated the presence of cardiac specific Troponin T in long-term cultures. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis of 3D versus 2D cultures revealed enhanced expression of contractile protein desmin. Our studies show that the biophysical and mechanical properties of electrospun gelatin nanofibers are ideal for in vitro engineered cardiac constructs (ECC), to explore cardiac function in drug testing and tissue replacement. Together with stem cell techniques, they may be an ideal platform for prolongedin vitro studies in alternatives to animal usage for the pharmaceutical industry.     

Fabrication of electrospun keratin nanofiber membranes for air and water treatment

Keratin proteins extracted from wool fibers by sulfitolysis were electrospun for the production of active nanofiber membranes (NFMs). The keratin NFMs were composited with nylon woven fabric for improving their mechanical properties as a filtration material. The prepared membranes were characterized in terms of morphology, pore size, contact angle, and performance of water and air permeability. Experimental data showed that most of investigated parameters were affected by the electrospinning time: that is, roughness rose by increasing the electrospinning time, while the narrowest pore size distribution was obtained at the longest electrospinning time (2 h). The pure water permeability (PWP) was greater for the produced NFMs than for the commercial microfiltration membranes and decreased by increasing the electrospinning time. At the longest electrospinning time, the produced NFMs showed a PWP of about 45.7 m³/m² h bar, which is a value greater than those obtained by conventional materials used in water filtration, including microfiltration membranes. According to the data of contact angle measurements, the high hydrophobicity of NFMs membranes could reinforce their stability in water. Other potential applications could be venting, adsorption of VOCs, and separation of oils from oil/water emulsions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:1472–1478 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Carbonized electrospun polyvinylpyrrolidone/metal hybrid nanofiber composites for electrochemical applications

Electrospinning is a very versatile and efficient method of fabricating nanofibers with the desired properties. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in ethanol solution was electrospun into nanofibers and used as a precursor for the preparation of carbon nanofibers. Cobalt chloride was also incorporated with PVP nanofibers to produce carbon nanofiber composites with enhanced electrical conductivity and electrochemical properties. The surface morphology and physical properties of the electrospun nanofibers, carbonized nanofibers, and their composites were observed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. The electrochemical behavior of the carbon nanofiber composites was studied by drop‐casting on a working surface of the screen‐printed carbon electrode and examined by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicated that carbon nanofiber composites were decorated with cobalt nanoparticles and enhanced the charge‐transfer efficiency on the electrode surface. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45639.     

Fabrication and characterization of electrospun psyllium husk-based nanofibers for tissue regeneration

The present study reports for first time the blending of psyllium husk (PH) powder/gelatin (G) in the polymer-rich composition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to make an electrospinnable solution. The composite was prepared in 3 different ratios viz., 100% (wt/wt) (PVA + PH), 75% + 25% (PVA + 75PH + 25G) (wt/wt) and 50% + 50% (PVA + 50PH + 50G) (wt/wt) in 6% PVA solution. Optimum electrospinning parameters were evaluated for all the prepared blends. The fabricated nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, porosity percentage, and fiber orientation using ImageJ software. A qualitative in vitro degradation study at room temperature is supported by SEM images. The cellular interactions were characterized by MTT assay of NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells for 2 and 4 days with an optimum cell growth of >50% by fourth day of culture and long-term cultivation of L929-RFP cells was observed for 10 days. The nanofibers were formed in the range of 49–600 nm. PVA + 75PH + 25G when cultured with L929-RFP cells exhibited highest fluorescence intensity and thus supported cellular proliferation significantly. Based on the results obtained from various analyses, we anticipate that fabricated psyllium-based nanofiber can be used as a promising candidate for wound healing and other biomedical applications.     

Electrospinning fabrication and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol)/waterborne polyurethane nanofiber membranes in aqueous solution

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/waterborne polyurethane (WBPU) nanofiber mats were prepared using electrospinning method with aqueous solutions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), and tensile strength testing machine (ZWICK) were used to characterize the morphology and properties of the PVA/WBPU nanofiber mats. The results showed that the morphologies of PVA/WBPU nanofiber mats changed with the total solid concentration and the mass ratio of PVA/WBPU in the spinning solution. The tensile strength and thermal stability of the fibers could be significantly affected by the WBPU contents. The electrospun PVA/WBPU membranes showed higher water uptake, which would have potential applications in wound dressings. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

医用防辐射服研究现状及发展趋势

从标准及不同应用场景的使用需求介绍了医用防辐射服,重点综述了含铅防辐射服的应用现状与存在问题和防辐射服的制备方法（纺丝法、涂覆法及热压成型等）,同时还对含有不同无铅屏蔽材料（如稀土元素、钨、铋、碳纳米管、聚酰亚胺、聚醚醚酮等）防辐射复合材料的研究现状及发展前景进行了展望。     

A core-shell amidoxime electrospun nanofiber affinity membrane for rapid recovery Au (III) from water

An affinity membrane was prepared by coaxial electrospinning and amidoxime (AONFA), and it was applied to selectively recovery Au (III) from an aqueous solution. The static adsorption results showed that, when pH at 5, the maximum adsorption capacity of AONFA membrane for Au (III) was 509.3 mg·g^-1. AONFA membrane exhibit much higher affinity and selectivity towards Au (III) than other metal cations. The membrane could be regenerated effectively by mixture solution of thiourea and HCl, and the desorption ratio reached almost 100% after 4 hours desorption. The dead-end filtration results showed that, the membrane utilization efficiency and adsorption capacity can be improved by increasing the flow rate, while increasing the concentration shorted the breakthrough process and had little impact to adsorption capacity. We can flexibly adjust the flow rate and concentration according to the situation to obtain the maximum utilization efficiency of the membrane in filtration process. The dynamic adsorption capacity is higher than the static adsorption capacity. The adsorption mechanism for Au (III) is electrostatic adsorption and reduction. Thus, AONFA membrane filtration was demonstrated to be a promising method for continuous recover Au (III) from wastewater.     

Effect of compression on thermal protection of firefighting protective clothing under flame exposure

The applied compression on firefighting protective clothing affects the physical properties of the designed system, which in return the thermal protective performance (TPP) could be changed. A modified TPP tester was proposed to investigate the effect of compression on performance of protective clothing. Three stages of heat exchange during firefighting, including heat exposure, heat discharge, and skin cooling, were defined to examine contribution of each stage to skin burn injury. Additionally, the influence of compression on thermal protection was compared under planar and cylindrical configurations. The results demonstrated that the applied compression significantly exacerbated skin burn injuries, while the further increase of the pressure had no significant effect on skin burn injuries. The thermal energy during heat discharge ranged from 42.2% to 64.5% of the maximum thermal energy, highly depending on the fabric properties, the applied compression, the heat discharge time, and the body configuration. The decrease of thermal energy during skin cooling stage only composed a small portion of total absorbed thermal energy, which was increased by the applied compression. The conclusions from this study could contribute to understanding the principle of thermal protection in different firefighting stages for reducing skin burn injury.     

Fabrication and electrical characterization of electrospun polyacrylonitrile‐derived carbon nanofibers

Carbon nanofibers were produced from a polyacrylonitrile/N,N‐dimethylformamide precursor solution by an electrospinning process and later pyrolysis at temperatures ranging from 500 to 1100°C in an N₂ atmosphere for about 1 h. The morphological structure of the nanofibers was studied with scanning electron microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy images of carbonized polyacrylonitrile nanofibers without a gold coating showed that the carbonized polyacrylonitrile nanofibers possessed electrical properties. The thermal behavior of the nanofibers was studied with thermogravimetric analysis. An indirect four‐point‐probe method was used for the measurement of the conductivity of nanofiber mats. The conductivity increased sharply with the pyrolysis temperature. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Preparation,thermal properties and permeabilities of aluminum-coated fabrics destined for thermal radiation protective clothing

In this study, radiant reflective, flame retardant and water vapor permeable coatings were fabricated on aramid fabric (AF) for thermal radiation protective clothing by using a simple cost-effective coating method, which included an aluminum paste, APP-PER-MEL and a silk fibroin powder in the TPU solution system. The permeability, flame retardancy, thermal stability, radiative spectral reflectance, as well as RPP of these prepared fabrics were characterized and compared with the pure AF and aluminum-foiled AF (AF-AF). Results show that the newly developed aluminized AF had rather high permeability, and the permeable capability would be further enhanced with the additive of silk fibroin powder. The flame retardancy (FR) of the coated fabric sample was also achieved by introducing an intumescent FR system. In contrast to the pure AF, the aluminum-coated AF provided higher levels of radiation protection in RPP testing. This was further confirmed by the fact that aluminum-coated AF exhibited comparative high average reflectivities (more than 0.7) in the radiant spectral range of 1547 nm to 2500 nm. Thus, the aluminum-coated AF prepared by functional coating method exhibit great and competitive practicability in thermal protective clothing due to their excellent moisture comfort and radiant thermal protection.     

Solvent-resistant polymeric microfiltration membranes based on oxidized electrospun poly(arylene sulfide sulfone) nanofibers

Polymeric membranes have been widely used in the separation of aqueous system, but there were few studies on the organic solvent-resistant microfiltration (MF) membranes. In this study, organic solvent-resistant oxidized poly(arylene sulfide sulfone)-6 (O-PASS-6) nanofibrous MF membrane with high water flux was prepared through electrospun technology, cold-press, and oxidation treatment. The O-PASS-6 nanofibrous MF membrane was made from the interwoven electrospun uniformly 295 nm nanofibers, and the mean pore size was 0.44 μm. The morphology, chemical structure, and aggregation structure of O-PASS-6 nanofibrous MF membrane were characterized systematically by the scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Investigations on the weight loss, swelling ratio, and microstructure change all revealed that the O-PASS-6 membrane had superior stability in strong polar solvents, such as 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI), dimethylformamide (DMF), and tetrahydrofuran (THF). MF performance results showed that the pure water flux of O-PASS-6 nanofibrous membrane was up to 753.34 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹, and the rejection ratio was 99.9% to 0.2 μm particles. More importantly, after treated by aggressive solvents, the membranes still possessed good MF performance: the water flux was 770.08, 775.66, and 766.36 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ when soaked in DMI, DMF, and THF for 7 days, respectively, and high rejection ratio also maintained (>99%) for both particles investigated. The O-PASS-6 membrane with good solvent resistance proved to be a promising candidate as a prefiltration membrane to eliminate submicron particles in both sewage and aggressive solvents. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48506.     

聚苯砜对苯二甲酰胺/苝系荧光材料复合静电纺膜的制备与表征

聚苯砜对苯二甲酰胺(PSA)纤维在防护领域具有广泛的应用,笔者在其纺丝溶液中引入苝系荧光功能材料POSS-PDI-POSS,通过静电纺制备了PSA纤维膜。研究了助纺剂聚丙烯腈(PAN)、共溶剂氯仿、荧光功能材料的引入对PSA溶液流变、电导率和纺丝成形性能的影响,发现在PAN添加量为3%(w)、氯仿添加量为6%(w)和0.4%(w)的POSS-PDI-POSS时可制备纤维直径集中分布在250～600 nm的纤维膜,该纤维膜可发射550 nm的黄绿色荧光(490 nm光激发)和发射580 nm的红色荧光(530 nm光激发)。     

Hydrolyzed collagen on PVA-based electrospun membranes: Synthesis and characterization

Physicochemical, structural, and thermal properties of electrospun membranes depend on process conditions and the type and concentration of the raw materials used to produce them. In this work, the electrospinning technique (ES) is used to synthesize membranes with hydrolyzed collagen (HC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at two different distances. The characterization of these membranes is then carried out by X-Ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, water vapor permeability (WVP), microscopy techniques, and porosity measurements. Results show that the morphology of the ES membranes depends mainly on the polymer/solvent system's physicochemical properties and the distance to the collector. Thicker samples (68–86 μm) are formed when using the furthest distance (10 cm), having fiber diameters smaller than 1 μm, porosity percentages up to 90%, and WVP values close to or in the recommended range for wound dressing commercial products. Moreover, the presence of HC results in samples with a less crystalline structure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which PVA and HC membranes are successfully synthesized by electrospinning and physicochemically characterized.     

Aligned electrospun sulfonated polyetheretherketone nanofiber based proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications

In this study, electrospinning of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) at different degrees of sulfonation (DS) was investigated. The polymer solution concentration of 22 wt% was obtained to collect smooth fiber in nanoscale range of 112 to 131 nm at various conditions. SEM observations of SPEEK nanofibers showed the decrease of diameter with increasing DS from 74% to 81%, mainly due to the increase of electrical conductivity of polymer solution at higher DS. The increase of collecting speed from 20 to 305 m/min decreased the diameter of nanofibers slightly and improved their alignment. The presence of SO₃H groups in collected nanofibers was demonstrated with FT‐IR analysis. WAXD patterns of SPEEK nanofibers indicated featureless amorphous peak with no crystalline regions that was broaden at higher DS and aligned nanofibers. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of SPEEK nanofibers showed the through‐plane proton conductivity of fully hydrated nanofibrous membranes measured at room temperature were improved with DS. The proton conductivity of randomly oriented and aligned nanofibers were measured from 0.0098 to 0.0722 S/cm and from 0.0592 to 0.0907 S/cm, respectively. Aligned nanofibers exhibited more proton conductivity than randomly collected nanofibers. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:789–796, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Characterization of CS/PVA/GO electrospun nanofiber membrane with astaxanthin

Tissue engineering has been widely used in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering scaffolds have become a new research direction for periodontal regenerative repair. We aim to develop a biological scaffold material that can support host immunity and promote periodontal regeneration. In this paper, chitosan (CS)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/graphene oxide (GO)/astaxanthin (ASTA) nanofibers membranes were prepared by electrospinning. The nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, mechanical testing, antibacterial testing and cytotoxicity testing. The CS/PVA/GO/ASTA nanofiber membrane had favorable micro-morphology, good mechanical properties and no cytotoxicity. This preliminary study demonstrates that the CS/PVA/GO/ASTA nanofiber membrane can be used for in vivo and in vitro experiments related to periodontal regeneration. The related mechanism of periodontal regeneration will be evaluated in future studies.     

PMIA@PVDF同轴电纺纤维膜的制备及其油水分离性能研究

以聚间苯二甲酰间苯二胺(PMIA)为芯、聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)为壳,使用22-17G同轴静电纺丝针头制备不同纺丝液芯壳流速比的PMIA@PVDF同轴电纺纤维膜,对纤维膜的芯壳结构、力学性能、热性能及油水分离性能进行了表征.结果表明:在纺丝液芯壳流速比为3:5时,PMIA@PVDF同轴电纺纤维膜具有理想的表面形貌和芯壳结...     

电纺纳米纤维增强聚合物复合材料的研究进展

与作为填料的普通纤维相比,通过静电纺丝所得纳米纤维(简称电纺纳米纤维)的长径比及比表面积较大,相对于基体材料具有较大的模量和韧性,对聚合物基体有较好的力学增强效果;电纺纳米纤维在复合材料中应力集中程度低、与聚合物基体间界面结合较好。加入电纺纳米纤维可以提高复合材料的性能,如拉伸及弯曲强度、模量,抗冲击性能等都有较大提高。电纺纳米纤维在聚合物基体中的分散及其与基体间的界面黏结等问题有待进一步研究和改善。