Enhancement of Adhesive Strength of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fibers Prepared by Polar Polymer Implantation

A new technique was proposed to enhance the adhesive strength of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene （UHMWPE） fibers. Polar polymer was implanted into UHMWE gel fibers during extracting process and can then be trapped on the surface of the fibers after subsequent ultra-drawing. The physical and chemical changes in the fiber structure were examined with scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy. The mechanical and interfacial adhesion properties of UHMWPE fibers were investigated with tensile testing. The results showed that there were polar groups on the smface of pretreated UHMWPE fiber. The interracial shear strength of UHMWPE fibers with epoxy resin was greatly improved without sacrificing the excellent mechanical p~perties of fibers. After pretreated with ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer （EVA）, the shear strength of the interface between fiber and epoxy resin increased from 1.06 to 2.49 MPa, while the integrated mechanical properties d the pretreated UHMWPE fibers were still optimal.     

A new bone repair scaffold combined with chitosan/ hydroxyapatite and sustained releasing icariin

Icariin, a plant-derived flavonol glycoside, has been proved as an osteoinductive agent for bone tissue engineering. A new bone repair scaffold was generated by thorough mixing of icariin and chitosan/ hydroxyapatite （icariin-CS/HA） using freeze-drying technigue. Characteristics of morphology, mechanical properties, biocompatibility, drug release behavior and bone repair abilities in vivo were evaluated. The results show that drug loading process of icariin did not affect physical structure of CS/HA composite significantly but decreased mechanical properies of CS/HA composite, which happened with a high dosage; icariin-CS/HA had favorable cell compatibility and promoted osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs; the controlled release of icariin was satisfactory and the release retained after 90 d in vitro. In addition, icariin-CS/HA scaffolds had favorable osteoconduction and osteoinduction in vivo, and could fill bone defect sites and stimulate newborn bone tissues formation at early stage. On the basis of these data, icariin-CS/HA is believed to be an optical bone repair scaffold for tissue engineering.     

On Modeling Bio-Scaffolds:Structural and Fluid Transport Characterization Based on 3-D Imaging Data

Bio-scaffolds which are most commonly open celled porous structures are increasingly used for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. A number of studies have shown that the bulk properties of such irregular structures are poorly modeled using idealized unit cell approaches. The paper therefore uses novel image based meshing techniques to explore both fluid flow and bulk structural properties of a bone scaffold, as accurate modeling of bio-scaffolds with non-uniform cellular structures is very important for the development of optimal scaffolds for tissue engineering application. In this study, a porous hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate (HA/TCP) bone scaffold has been scanned in a Micro-CT scanner, and converted into a volumetric mesh using image processing software developed by the authors. The resulting mesh was then exported to commercial FEA and CFD solvers for analysis. Initial FEA and CFD studies have shown promising results and have highlighted the importance of accurate modeling to understand how microstructures influence the mechanical property of the scaffold, and to analyze flow regimes through the sample. The work highlights the potential use of image based meshing for the ad hoc characterization of scaffolds as well as for assisting in the design of scaffolds with tailored strength, stiffness, and transport properties.     

Fabrication of Dex-Loaded Shape Memory Polymer Based Composite Nanofibers ：for Potential Bone Tissue Engineering

Biodegradable shape memory polymers （SMPs） are a class of intelligent materials with great potential for imparting biomaterial scaffolds multifunetionality in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, the biodegradable SMP poly（ D, L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate） （PLMC） incorporated with the ,dexamethasone （Dex）, which was a kind of synthetic bone-formation inducing factor, was fabricated into nanofibers via dectrospinning. The morphology, constituent, thermal and mechanical properties of the produced Dex/PLMC composite nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, Fourier transform ：infrared spectroscopy （ FTIR ）, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, and tensile testing, respectively. Then, ultrasound was ,employed as a remote stimulus to regulate the Dex releasing behavior from the composite nanofibers. It was found that the generated Dex/ PLMC composite nanofibers had a uniform and smooth morphology with a diameter of ca. 564 nm. Mechanical testing results showed that incorporation of the Dex gave rise to improved mechanical performance with the tensile strength, Young＇ s modulus and strain- at-break increased by 18.2 %, 20. 0 % and 64.4 %, respectively. DSC data revealed that the glass transition temperature （ Tg ） of the composite nanofibers, i. e., the thermal transition temperature （Ttrans） for activating shape memory effect, was 39. 7 ℃. Moreover, the release kinetics of the encapsulated Dex in the aanofibers could be manipulated by varying the acoustic power and insonation duration. These results suggested that the newly developed Dex/PLMC nanofibers could be a promising drug delivery system for applications in bone tissue engineering （BTE）.     

Structure Changes of Silk Fibroin（SF） by Blending with Poly（ε-caprolactone）（PCL）：Characterization of SF and PCL Blended Electrospinning Films

The mechanical properties and water solubility of electrospinning SF films limit their use as biomaterials. In order to develop a tissue engineering biomaterial with both satisfying biological properties and sufficient biomechanical properties,blended films composed of silk fibroin（ SF） and poly（ ε-caprolactone）（ PCL） were fabricated by electrospinning in this study. Scanning electron microscope（ SEM）, X-ray diffraction（ XRD）,thermal analysis,Fourier transform-infrared（ FT-IR）,Raman spectra,mechanical testing,and water solubility were used to characterize the morphological, structural and mechanical properties of the blended electrospinning films. Results showed that the diameter of the blended fiber was distributed between 600 and1000 nm,and the fiber diameter increased as the PCL content increased. There is no obvious phase separation due to the similarity and intermiscibility,as well as the interactions（ mainly hydrogen bonds）, between the two polymers. Meanwhile, the secondary structures of SF changed from random coils and Silk I to Silk II because of the interactions between SF and PCL. For this reason,the tensile strength and elongation at break of the electrospinning films improved significantly,and the water solubility decreased. In conclusion,the blended electrospinning films fabricated in this study showed satisfying mechanical properties and water insolubilities,and they may be promising biomaterials for applications in tissue engineering for blood vessels,nerve conduits,tendons,ligaments and other tissues.     

Research on Flax Fiber Reinforced Polylactide Environmental Friendly Composite

Biodegradable polylactide acid （PLA） resin can be combined with flax fibers to produce biodegradable composite materials. In our study, commercial PLA fibers were mixed with flax fibers by a non-woven method so as to make non- woven pre-forms, which can be generated into flax fiber reinforced PLA environmental friendly composites by heat pressing technology. The tensile, flexural and impact properties are tested in order to evaluate the basic physical properties of the composites, and the influenced factors listed as making technology of the pre-forms, weight ratio of flax fibers and heat pressing technology are discussed and optimized, which can be described as weight ratio of flax fibers and PLA fibers is 50/50, heating temperature, time and pressure are respectively 195℃, 20 rain and 12.5 Mpa. Preliminary results show that mechanical properties of the flax/PLA composites are quite promising compared with flax/PP composites in coclrnon commercial automotive use. Scanning electron microscope （SEM） is used to analyze the tensile specimen fracture surfaces, which shows voids and gaps occurring between flax fibers and PLA matrix and sign of fiber pull.out, the strength of flax/PLA interface can be further improved.     

Engineered polycaprolactone – magnesium hybrid biodegradable porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering

In this paper, we describe the fabrication of a new biodegradable porous scaffold composed of polycaprolactone(PCL) and magnesium(Mg)micro-particles. The compressive modulus of PCL porous scaffold was increased to at least 150% by incorporating 29% Mg particles with the porosity of 74% using Micro-CT analysis. Surprisingly, the compressive modulus of this scaffold was further increased to at least 236% when the silane-coupled Mg particles were added. In terms of cell viability, the scaffold modified with Mg particles significantly convinced the attachment and growth of osteoblasts as compared with the pure PCL scaffold. In addition, the hybrid scaffold was able to attract the formation of apatite layer over its surface after 7 days of immersion in normal culture medium, whereas it was not observed on the pure PCL scaffold. This in vitro result indicated the enhanced bioactivity of the modified scaffold. Moreover, enhanced bone forming ability was also observed in the rat model after 3 months of implantation. Though bony in-growth was found in all the implanted scaffolds. High volume of new bone formation could be found in the Mg/PCL hybrid scaffolds when compared to the pure PCL scaffold. Both pure PCL and Mg/PCL hybrid scaffolds were degraded after 3 months. However, no tissue inflammation was observed. In conclusion, these promising results suggested that the incorporation of Mg micro-particles into PCL porous scaffold could significantly enhance its mechanical and biological properties. This modified porous bio-scaffold may potentially apply in the surgical management of large bone defect fixation.     

pH-Compensation Effect of Lysine on the Acidic Degradation of Electrospun Poly（ lactide-co-glycolide） Fibers in PBS

Electrospun aligned ultrafine fibers of poly（ lactide-coglycolide）（ PLGA） can be used to construct biomimetic scaffolds for engineering those structurally anisotropic and dense tissues（ e. g.,tendon,ligament,etc.）. But the acidic degradation products of the PLGA could result in p H decrease in the vicinity of the scaffolds,which may give rise to biocompatibility concerns. To address the noted problem, this study was designed to evaluate the p Hcompensation capacity of using Lysine（ Lys） —a kind of basic amino acid on the acidic degradation products of PLGA. Ultrafine PLGA（ 50∶ 50） fibers with 0,10%,20%,and 30% by weight of Lys loadings were prepared by a stable jet electrospinning（ SJES）approach. The morphology,structure,and mechanical properties of the electrospun aligned fibrous mats of Lys-incorporated PLGA（ 50∶50） were characterized by scanning electron microscope（ SEM）,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（ FTIR）,and tensile testing,respectively. Thereafter,the fibrous PLGA（ 50 ∶50） scaffolds were subjected to degradation by being immersed in phosphate buffered saline（ PBS,p H 6. 86） solution at 37 ℃ for 5weeks. Our results show that the formed Lys / PLGA composite ultrafine fibers have a well-aligned and uniform morphology with a fineness of ca. 1 #m in diameter. Introduction of Lys led to increased mechanical performance; that is,when the Lys loading is less than 30%,tensile strength and Young＇s modulus of the aligned Lys / PLGA fibers reached up to the impressive values of 84. 5 MPa and 2. 4 GPa,respectively. Degradation results show that the p H of the PLGA group fell to 5. 6 in 5 weeks while the p H of the Lys /PLGA groups with 10%,20%, and 30% of Lys loadings was maintained at 6. 3, 6. 5 and 6. 7, respectively. This work demonstrated that incorporation of Lys into electrospun PLGA fibers could be an effective approach in mediating the p H decrease caused by the acidic degradation products of the PLGA.     

Fabrication of Multi-layered Composite Scaffolds by Bi-directional Electrospinning Method

A multi-layered composite scaffolds consisting of poly （ L- ne） （ P （LLA-CL） ）, collagen （COL） and chitosan （CS） were fabricated by a bi-directional electrospinnlng method. Synthetic P （LLA-CL） was used as the middle layer to enhance the strength, while natural COL/CS blending （9： 1, v/v） was used as the bioactive surfaces （inner and outer layers ） to improve the biocompatibility. Each three transitional layers were set between inner/outer layer and middle layer for delamination resistance. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） was used to observe the fiber morphology. The Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy （FTIR-ATR） spectra, X- ray diffraction （XRD） and thermogravimetry （TG） tests were used to analyze the physical properties of the scaffolds. The results showed that the modified clectrospinning method bad no negative effect on the components, crystal structure and thermostability of the scaffolds, but could effectively combine the mechanical property of synthetic material and biocompatibility of natural materials. Such method could be applied to the fabrication of composite scaffolds for vascular, skin. and nerve tissue engineering.     

Mechanical properties of carbonfi ber/cellulose composite papers modified by hot-melting fibers

Carbon fiber(CF)/cellulose(CLS) composite papers were prepared by papermaking techniques and hot-melting fibers were used for modification. The mechanical properties of the obtained composite papers with different CF,CLS and hot-melting fiber ratios were studied and further discussed. It is observed that,for both CF/CLS composite papers and those modified by hot-melting fibers,the normal stress firstly increases and then declines with the addition of carbon fibers. The results also show that with the addition of hot-melting fibers,the modified papers exhibit enhanced mechanical performance compared to CF/CLS composite papers. Through SEM characterization,it is confirmed that the improvement of mechanical properties attributes to the reinforcement of adhesive binding at the fiber overlap nodes. Also,through four-probe method,the resistivity and the electrical performance of the modified and unmodified papers were characterized and the result shows that the hot-melting fiber modification brings no harm to the electrical properties.     

Tussah Silk Fibroin Porous Scaffolds Prepared with a Mild Self-assembly Process for Controlled Drug Release

Besides excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility,a useful tissue engineering scaffold should provide favorable surface properties,outstanding mechanical strength and controlled drug release property. In this paper,a mild process to prepare porous tussah silk fibroin（ TSF） scaffolds from aqueous solution was described. The n-butanol was used to control the self-assembly of tussah silk. The scaffolds with different TSF concentrations and the same volume showed differences in pore size and distribution. The maximum porosity of the poprepared porous scaffolds was 80% in this paper. And the pore size of the prepared porous scaffolds with different concentrations was between 10μm and 230 μm. X-ray diffraction（ XRD） analysis revealed that amorphous TSF was crystallized to β-sheet secondary structure upon gelatin. The TSF scaffolds for controlled drug release was studied and the result showed that the time of drug release was significantly longer. The produced TSF scaffolds with sustained drug release have potential application in tissue engineering.     

Influence of Dispersion of Nano-Zn0 Particles in Polymer Matrices on Properties of Relevant Nano Composite Fibers

The surface-passivated and non-surface-passivated zinc oxide nano-particles （marked as s-nanoZnO and ns-nanoZnO respectively） were evenly dispersed in polymer solutions with the aid of ultrasonic vibration to prepare nanocomposite film by free casting and to prepare nanocomposite fibers by wet spinning and to prepare nancomposites coating by surface smearing. The dispersion of s-nanoZnO and nsnanoZnO in PAN matrix were observed by transmittance electron microscopy, the mechanical properties of the relevant compesite samples were studied by INSRTON tensile strength tester. It was found that s-nanoZnO behaves a well-dispersed morphology in PAN films and fibers when its concentration was 2 wt% but ns-nanoZnO nano particles agglomerate into larger congeries in PAN films. It means that the surface-passivated process oft zinc oxide nano. particles was effective to disperse. The relative intensity and elonsation at break of s-nanoZnO-PAN composite fibers show maximum values with the increase of nano particle content in compesites （from 0 wt% to 2 wt% of s- nanoZnO）. The elasticity of the composite fibers increases whereas their modulus declines. Balanced the changes of the properties mentioned above, 2 wt% s-nanoZnO in PAN matrix is a proper content for the composite fibers spun by wet spinning. The result of surface smearing test means that the reactim between s-nanoZnO and polymer can be indicated by the color of nanocomposite surface coat on fibers.     

Molecular architecture and engineering of spider dragline silk protein

Spider dragline silk, which is produced in spider major ampullate gland, is a composite proteinacious fiber with highly repetitive Ala-Gly-rich domain. The unique combination of both high tensile strength and high elasticity makes spider dragline silk superior to almost any other natural or synthetic fibers. Cloning of the genes reveals that the silk is composed of at least two major proteins. Each protein component contains multiple repeats of modular structures that alternate between Ala-rich domains and Gly-rich domains. Molecular engineering not only opens a door to the production of spidroins but also provides a valuable experimental system to test and further establish the relationship between modular structures and mechanical properties. Here, based on our own studies, we review the latest progress of the modular structure and genetic engineering and outline the future prospects.     

Processing and characterization of Cf/SiC composites

Carbon fiber-reinforced SiC composites were prepared by precursor pyrolysis-hot pressing (PP-HP) and precursor impregnation-pyrolysis (PIP), respectively. The effect of fabrication methods on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites was investigated. It was found that the composite prepared by PP-HP exhibits a brittle fracture behavior, which is mainly ascribed to a strongly bonded fiber/matrix interface and the degradation of the fibers caused by a higher processing temperature. On the contrary, the composite prepared by PIP shows a tough fracture behavior, which could be rationalized on the basis of a weakly bonded fiber/matrix interface as well as a higher strength retention of the fibers. As a result, in comparison with the composite prepared by PP-HP, the composite prepared by PIP achieves better mechanical properties with a flexural strength of 573.4 MPa and a fracture toughness of 17.2 MPa·m1/2.     

Preparation and Properties of PCL/PLA Shape Memory Composites

Poly(lactic acid)(PLA) was blended with various polycaprolactone(PCL) components through the melt blending process for toughening modification on PLA.The tensile testing,scanning electron microscope(SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) were implemented to analyze mechanical properties,disperse morphology,thermal properties and compatibility of composite materials,respectively.The shape memory performance of PCL/PLA composites was also investigated.The results showed that the elongation at break of composites increased by 10 and 15 times than pure PLA with adding 20% and30% by weight of PCL,and the yield strength retention rates were77% and 67%,respectively.The SEM showed that PCL/PLA composite was a semi-compatible system.PCL particles could be evenly dispersed in the PLA at 20% or 30% by weight PCL content,and the particle size was very small.DSC results showed a decline in Tg and Tm whereas an increase in Td with the addition of PCL.The addition of PCL could improve the shape memory performance of PLA.The shape memory performance was enhanced with the PCL content increase,but decreased with the tensile strain increase.The best temperature for shape recovery was between 60 and 70 ℃,and the shape memory performance remained 80% after 5 times recycle.     

Study on PTFE/Kevlar49/PA6 Composites

The mechanical properties and material volume fractions of PTFE/Kevlar49/PA6 composite are studied. The focus of this paper is to get the relationship between the volume fraction of three constituents and the mechanical properties of the composite by doing tensile, hardness and wear test. The effect of the constituent volume fractions was evaluated. Short Kevlar49 fibers reinforced PA6 （Polyamide 6） with PTFE filler were studied in five different combinations. The results of the experiments show that the mechanical properties increase with Keviar fibers increase, then they decrease after the Kevlar fiber volume reaches one number.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of SiC-particle-strengthening tri-metal Al/Cu/Ni composite produced by accumulative roll bonding process

In this study, a multilayer Al/Ni/Cu composite reinforced with SiC particles was produced using an accumulative roll bonding (ARB) process with different cycles. The microstructure and mechanical properties of this composite were investigated using optical and scanning microscopy and hardness and tensile testing. The results show that by increasing the applied strain, the Al/Ni/Cu multilayer composite converted from layer features to near a particle-strengthening characteristic. After the fifth ARB cycle, a composite with a uniform distribution of reinforcements (Cu, Ni, and SiC) was fabricated. The tensile strength of the composite increased from the initial sandwich structure to the first ARB cycle and then decreased from the first to the third ARB cycle. Upon reaching five ARB cycles, the tensile strength of the composite increased again. The variation in the elongation of the composite exhibited a tendency similar to that of its tensile strength. It is observed that with increasing strain, the microhardness values of the Al, Cu, and Ni layers increased, and that the dominant fracture mechanisms of Al and Cu were dimple formation and ductile fracture. In contrast, brittle fracture in specific plains was the main characteristic of Ni fractures.     

Electrospun composites of PHBV/pearl powder for bone repairing

Electrospun fi ber has highly structural similarity with natural bone extracelluar matrix(ECM). Many researches about fabricating organic–inorganic composite materials have been carried out in order to mimic the natural composition of bone and enhance the biocompatibility of materials. In this work, pearl powder was added to the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)(PHBV) and the composite nano fi ber scaffold was prepared by electrospinning. Mineralization ability of the composite scaffolds can be evaluated by analyzing hydroxyapatite(HA)formation on the surface of nano fi ber scaffolds. The obtained composite nano fi ber scaffolds showed an enhanced mineralization capacity due to incorporation of pearl powder. The HA formed amount of the composite scaffolds was raised as the increase of pearl powder in composite scaffolds. Therefore, the prepared PHBV/pearl composite nano fi ber scaffolds would be a promising candidate as an osteoconductive composite material for bone repairing.     

Electrospun Nanofibers of Hydroxyapatite/Collagen/Chitosan Promote Osteogenic Differentiation of BMSCs

Bone tissue engineering, aiming at developing bone substitutes for repair and regeneration of bone defects instead of using autologous bone grafts, has attracted wide attention in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Developing biomimetic biomaterial scaffolds able to regulate osteogenic differentiation of stem cells could be a promising strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy. In this study, clectrospun composite nanofibers of hydroxyapatite/collagen/chitosan （ HAp/Col/CTS ） resembling the fibrous nanostructure and constituents of the hierarchically organized natural bone, were prepared to investigate their capacity for promoting bone mesenchymal stem cells （BMSCs） to differentiate into the osteogenic lineage in the absence and presence of the osteogenlc supplementation, respectively. Call morphology, proliferation and quantified specific osteogenic protein expression on the electrospun HAp/Coi/CTS scaffolds were evaluated in comparison with different controls including dectrospun nanofibrous CTS, HAp/CTS and tissue culture plate. Our remits showed that the nanofibrous HAp/Col/CTS scaffolds supported better spreading and proliferation of the BMSCs than other substrates （ P 〈 0.01 ）. Expressions of osteogenesis protein markers, alkaline phosphatase （ALP） and Col, were significantly upregulated on the HAp/Col/CTS than those on the CTS （P 〈0.01） and HAp/ CTS （P 〈 0. 05 ） scaffolds in the absence of the osteogeulc supplementation. Moreover, presence of osteogeulc supplementation also proved to enhance osteogeule differentiation of BMSCs on HAp/ Col/CTS scaffolds, indicative of a synergistic effect. This study highlights the potential of BMSCs/HAp/Col/CTS cell-scaffold system for functional bone repair and regeneration applications.     

Fabrication of PEI-Liposome Loaded Fish Gelatin Nanofibers Mats by Green Electrospinning

Polyethyleneimine （PEI） and cationic liposomes were widely used for gent delivery and the combination of PEI and liposome was reported to result in a higher efficiency of cell transfection in vitro. In recent years, better transfection was observed for the drug-loaded iiposome fixed on the tissue engineering scaffolds via embedding, surface adsorption or covalent grafting thus protected and bound by the scaffolds. In the present study, a novel PEI-liposome loaded fish gdatin composite nanofiber was successfully fabricated by a green electrosplnning process. The existence of PEI- liposome in the composite nanofibers was determined by Fourier transform infrared （ FTIR ） spectra, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and confoeal laser scanning microscopy （CLSM）. As shown by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, the dectrospun composite nanofibers with uniform diameter were smooth and round, and the morphology of the fish gelatin fibers did not change significantly after the incorporation of PEI-liposomes. The transfection results in vitro suggest PEI-liposome loaded fish gelatin material may have a promising application in non-viral gene delivery systems.