Novel Airflow-Field-Driven Melt Spinning 3D Printing of Tubular Scaffolds Based on Polycaprolactone Blends
Author:
Zhang Junyuan12, Peng Zilong12ORCID, Wang Mengjie12, Li Yinan12ORCID, Wu Jinyin12, Jiang Yifan12, Liu Chaolong12, Li Guqiang3, Xu Lin34, Lan Hongbo12
Affiliation:
1. Shandong Engineering Research Center for Additive Manufacturing, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China 2. Key Laboratory of Additive Manufacturing and Applications in Universities of Shandong, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China 3. Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264003, China 4. Yantai Affiliated Hospital, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264100, China
Abstract
The fabrication of various 3D tissue engineering tubular scaffolds with fibrous structures, to assist the human body in rapidly repairing a variety of ailments, is receiving more and more attention. Due to the inefficiency of the majority of fibrous preparation techniques, the question of how to rapidly produce the requisite three-dimensional tubular microfiber scaffold structures has become an urgent problem. In this study, an efficient polymer fiber preparation method was developed, using a high-speed airflow drive. Melt blending of polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), and tributyl citrate (TBC), was used for the printing material, to achieve the efficient preparation of tubular microfiber scaffolds with different structures. The scaffold diameter was as small as 2 mm, the wall thickness was up to 100 μm, and the fiber injection efficiency reached 15.48 g/h. By utilizing simulations to optimize the printing parameters and by adjusting the printing settings, it was possible to achieve a controlled fiber diameter in the range of 3 μm to 15 μm. In addition, plasma treatment was applied to the microfibers’ surface, to increase their wettability, and the efficiency of the hydrophilic modification was demonstrated. Furthermore, the mechanical property test demonstrated that the fibers have a tensile strength of 1.36 ± 0.16 MPa and a tensile strain of 30.8 ± 3.5%. The radial compressive strain of the tubular scaffold could reach 60% of the original scaffold’s diameter. Finally, the in vitro degradation of the fibers at various pH values was tested. The results showed that, under alkaline conditions, the surface of the fibers would be severely crushed and the rate of deterioration would increase.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, China
Subject
Polymers and Plastics,General Chemistry
Reference36 articles.
1. 3D printed concentrated alginate/GelMA hollow-fibers-packed scaffolds with nano apatite coatings for bone tissue engineering;Luo;Int. J. Biol. Macromol.,2022 2. Advances in three-dimensional nanofibrous macrostructures via electrospinning;Bin;Prog. Polym. Sci.,2014 3. Wei, L., Liu, C., Mao, X., Dong, J., Fan, W., Zhi, C., Qin, X., and Sun, R. (2019). Multiple-Jet Needleless Electrospinning Approach via a Linear Flume Spinneret. Polymers, 11. 4. The use of an electrostatic lens to enhance the efficiency of the electrospinning process;Vaquette;Cell Tissue Res.,2012 5. Coating of laponite on PLA nanofibrous for bone tissue engineering application;Orafa;Macromol. Res.,2021
|
|