Electrospinning of Nanofibers

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the applications for nanobiotechnology. Electrospinning is advantageous in this field specifically for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and enzyme engineering purposes. Hexafluoropropanol is the most used solvent for electrospinning of natural polymers. polyethylene oxideis frequently used to increase the viscosity of aqueous solutions in order to make natural polymers electrospinnable. Natural polymers have been electrospun alone or blended with other synthetic or natural polymers in order to produce nanofibers with diverse morphological, biological, and mechanical properties. More detailed information regarding electrospinning of natural polymers can be found in a review. Although the first melt electrospinning technique was reported in 1981, the progress has been very slow. However, it is also important to realize that aligned nanofibers increase the capability of the electrospinning technique. Natural polymers such as collagen, fibronectin, elastin, laminin, and glycosaminoglycans are the major components of extracellular matrix.