Design, fabrication and characterization of electrospun fibers, yarns, and scaffolds for textile-based tissue engineering

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the design, fabrication, and characterization of electrospun fibers, yarns, and scaffolds, which are building blocks of textile-based tissue engineering, an important field in regenerative medicine. This study proved the hypothesis that textile-based tissue engineering would yield artificial tissues with similar physical, biological, and mechanical properties as their natural counterparts. For fibers, I investigated cell adhesion, proliferation, and morphology on electrohydrodynamic (EHD) direct-written fibers with controllable surface roughness. The results provided guidelines about controlling the surface roughness of single fibers to achieve desirable cell responses. For yarns, I investigated the mechanism of wet electrospinning and fabricated yarns with controllable mechanical properties. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were successfully integrated into wet electrospun yarns by using a CNT bath. For scaffolds, I assembled wet electrospun yarns into scaffolds via textile technology for two case studies. The results indicated that the textile-based scaffolds could satisfy the physical, biological, and mechanical requirements for skin and vascular tissue engineering. This study will enhance the robustness of textile technology in tissue engineering and provide new perspectives for the design and fabrication of scaffolds. The modified electrospinning technology will greatly extend the usefulness of electrospinning in tissue engineering and related fields.