Open AccessLarge‐scale synthesis of compressible and re‐expandable three‐dimensional nanofiber matrices
Author(s) -
McCarthy Alec,
Saldana Lorenzo,
McGoldrick Daniel,
John Johnson V.,
Kuss Mitchell,
Chen Shixuan,
Duan Bin,
Carlson Mark A.,
Xie Jingwei
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nano select
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2688-4011
DOI - 10.1002/nano.202000284
Subject(s) - nanofiber , electrospinning , materials science , common emitter , nozzle , nanotechnology , scaling , volumetric flow rate , composite material , optoelectronics , mechanical engineering , mechanics , polymer , mathematics , physics , geometry , engineering
Due to their biomimetic properties, electrospun nanofibers have shown great potential in many biomedical fields. However, traditionally‐produced nanofibers are typically two‐dimensional (2D) membranes limiting their applications. Herein, we report a large‐scale synthesis of compressible and re‐expandable three‐dimensional (3D) nanofiber matrices for potential biomedical applications. The reproducible mass production of such matrices is achieved using a multiple‐emitter electrospinning machine with a controlled environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, and air flow rate) followed by an innovative gas‐foaming expansion. The modified 20‐emitter circular array with 3D‐printed needle caps is capable of maintaining stable Taylor cones under extremely high flow rates. The introduction of such an emitter array allows for the production rate of 3D nanofiber matrices to increase by over 800 times while retaining the desired morphological, mechanical, and absorptive properties when compared to ones generated by a single‐nozzle electrospinning setup. Taken together, a feasible, optimized method has been demonstrated for scaling up production of shape‐recoverable, expansile nanofiber matrices, representing a step towards translating such materials into preclinical, large animal testing, clinical trials, and eventually clinical applications.