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Uniform-thickness electrospun nanofiber mat production system based on real-time thickness measurement.

ABSTRACT: Electrospinning is a simple versatile process used to produce nanofibers and collect them as a nanofiber mat. However, due to bending instability, electrospinning often produces a nanofiber mat with non-uniform mat thickness. In this study, we developed a uniform-thickness electrospun nanofiber mat (UTEN) production system with a movable collector based on real-time thickness measurement and thickness feedback control. This system is compatible with a collector with void regions such as a mesh-type collector, two-parallel-metal-plate collector, and ring-type collector, which facilitates the measurement of light transmittance across the produced nanofiber mat during electrospinning. A real-time measurement system was developed to measure light transmittance and convert it to the thickness of the nanofiber mat in real time using the Beer-Lambert law. Thickness feedback control was achieved by repeating the following sequences: (1) finding an optimal position of the movable collector based on the measured thickness of the nanofiber mat, (2) shifting the collector to an optimal position, and (3) performing electrospinning for a given time step. We found that the suggested thickness feedback control algorithm could significantly decrease the non-uniformity of the nanofiber mat by reducing the standard deviation by more than 8 and 3 times for the numerical simulation and experiments, respectively, when compared with the conventional electrospinning. As a pioneering research, this study will contribute to the development of an electrospinning system to produce robust and reliable nanofiber mats in many research and industrial fields such as biomedicine, environment, and energy.

SUBMITTER: Ryu HI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7705742 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Uniform-thickness electrospun nanofiber mat production system based on real-time thickness measurement.

Ryu Hyun Il HI Koo Min Seok MS Kim Seokjun S Kim Songkil S Park Young-Ah YA Park Sang Min SM

Scientific reports 20201130 1

Electrospinning is a simple versatile process used to produce nanofibers and collect them as a nanofiber mat. However, due to bending instability, electrospinning often produces a nanofiber mat with non-uniform mat thickness. In this study, we developed a uniform-thickness electrospun nanofiber mat (UTEN) production system with a movable collector based on real-time thickness measurement and thickness feedback control. This system is compatible with a collector with void regions such as a mesh-t ...[more]

PMID: 33257811

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Project description:Electrospun fiber mats (EFMs) are highly versatile biomaterials used in a myriad of biomedical applications. Whereas some facets of EFMs are well studied and can be highly tuned (e.g., pore size, fiber diameter, etc.), other features are under characterized. For example, although substrate mechanics have been explored by several groups, most studies rely on Young's modulus alone as a characterization variable. The influence of fiber mat thickness and the effect of supports are variables that are often not considered when evaluating cell-mechanical response. To assay the role of these features in EFM scaffold design and to improve understanding of scaffold mechanical properties, we designed EFM scaffolds with varying thickness (50-200 µm) and supporting methodologies. EFM scaffolds were comprised of polycaprolactone and were either electrospun directly onto a support, suspended across an annulus (3 or 10 mm inner diameter), or "tension-released" and then suspended across an annulus. Then, single cell spreading (i.e., Feret diameter) was measured in the presence of these different features. Cells were sensitive to EFM thickness and suspended gap diameter. Overall, cell spreading was greatest for 50 µm thick EFMs suspended over a 3 mm gap, which was the smallest thickness and gap investigated. These results are counterintuitive to conventional understanding in mechanobiology, which suggests that stiffer materials, such as thicker, supported EFMs, should elicit greater cell polarization. Additional experiments with 50 µm thick EFMs on polystyrene and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) supports demonstrated that cells can "feel" the support underlying the EFM if it is rigid, similar to previous results in hydrogels. These results also suggest that EFM curvature may play a role in cell response, separate from Young's modulus, possibly because of internal tension generated. These parameters are not often considered in EFM design and could improve scaffold performance and ultimately patient outcomes.

Dataset Information

Uniform-thickness electrospun nanofiber mat production system based on real-time thickness measurement.

Publications

Uniform-thickness electrospun nanofiber mat production system based on real-time thickness measurement.

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