Disc-Electrospun PCL Nanofiber Formed Micro-patterned Structure Scaffold

Disc-electrospinning using a disc as spinneret and a rotary drum as collector is a novel technology to prepare nanofiber which has been applied in tissue engineering scaffolds. In this study, nanofibrous mats with mlcro-patterned structure were fabricated via disc-electrospinning. Poly （ε-eaprolactone） （PCL） was dissolved in trifluoroethanol （TFE） at various concentrations （ 2 %-7 % ） （w/v） for electrospinning and the applied voltage ranged from 40 to 70 kV. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） was employed to observe the morphology of the nanofibrous scaffolds. SEM images illustrated that the nanofibers with beads formed micro-patterned structure such as triangles and other polygons. The average diameter of nanofibers presented various size with the concentration increased from 2% to 7%. The beads on the nanofibers constructed the vertexes of the polygons, while nanofibers bridged between adjacent vertexes. The concentration of solution and applied voltage may be two dominant factors to influence the topological structure of the nanofibrons scaffolds. Cells cultured on the micro-patterned scaffold spread along the edges of the polygons. The scaffold with patterned structure may have a promising application in tissue engineering.