Narrowing the Diameter of Electrospun Nanofibres
Wai Hei TseThe University of Western OntarioDepartment of Medical Biophysics
April 7, 2010
Table of ContentsIntroduction
◦Electrospinning◦Nanofibers
Materials◦Collagen◦Polycaprolactone (PCL)
ApplicationsResultsConclusions
IntroductionElectrospinning: process in which
solid fibres are produced from a polymeric solution◦Based on electrostatic charge
repulsion and fluid properties
Objective: Narrow electrospun nanofibres to a consistent diameter of 100-250 nm.
Why nanoscale?Why not larger?
Why Collagen and Polycaprolactone?BiocompatibilityCost-effective for large scale
electrospinning
Collagen PCL
•Most abundant protein
•Extracellular matrix (ECM) component
•FDA approved synthetic polymer
•Biodegradable
•Impact resistant
Applications
Collagen Scaffold (Mekhail, M. 2009)
Collagen PCL
•Spinal cord regeneration
•Tissue regeneration
•Tissue engineering •Tissue engineering
•ECM mimic •Controlled release and drug delivery
PCL Fibres (Patcharaporn, W., et al. 2005)
Factors Affecting Polymer Diameter• Flow Rate
• Electric Field Gradient • Polymer Solution
Electrospinning Apparatus
Nanotechweb.org
TheoryTaylor Cone (Doshi, J., and Reneker, D. H.)
Electrosplaying (Thompson, C.J., et al.)
ThePedia.com
Results
Inconsistent Diameter of Nanofibres (Erica Lee)
Results cont’d
Beading of PCL Nanofibre (Erica Lee)Consistent PCL Fibres (Erica Lee)
Objective!
ConclusionFlow rate and electric field gradient
are the most important factors in determining the fibre diameter
The resultant fibre diameter is relative to the contributing factors
Future Investigation
Reduce surface tension with additives Increase volumetric charge density
with saltsCo-axial Spinning
AcknowledgementsDr. Wankei Wan
◦Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Dr. Martin Zinke-Allmang◦Department of Medical Biophyiscs
Erica Lee◦M. E. Sc. Candidate; Biomedical
Engineering
Questions?
Method12% PCL solution by weightDissolved in tetrafluoroethylene
(TFE)
Nanotechweb.org
Top Related