An overview on electrospinning and its advancement toward hard and soft tissue engineering applications

• Published in: Colloid and polymer science Vol. 300; no. 8; pp. 875 - 901
• Main Author: Muthukrishnan, Lakshmipathy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical materials; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Commercialization; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Cotton; Evolution; Food Science; Mechanical properties; Nanofibers; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Nanotechnology and Microengineering; New technology; Physical Chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Polymers; Pore size; Quantum dots; Review; Review Article; Soft and Granular Matter; Soft tissues; Textiles; Tissue engineering; Feed materials; Electrospinning; Drug delivery; Wound healing; Spinneret; Tissue engineering
• ISSN: 0303-402X; 1435-1536
• DOI: 10.1007/s00396-022-04997-9

One of the emerging technologies of the recent times harboring nanotechnology to fabricate nanofibers for various biomedical and environmental applications are electrospinning (nanofiber technology). Their relative ease in use, simplicity, functionality and diversity has surpassed the pitfalls encountered with the conventional method of generating fibers. This review aims to provide an overview of electrospinning, principle, methods, feed materials, and applications toward tissue engineering. To begin with, evolution of electrospinning and its typical apparatus have been briefed. Simultaneously, discussion on the production of nanofibers with diversified feed materials such as polymers, small molecules, colloids, and nanoparticles and its transformation into a powerful technology has been dealt with. Further, highlights on the application of nanofibers in tissue engineering and the commercialized products developed using nanofiber technology have been summed up. With this rapidly emerging technology, there would be a great demand pertaining to scalability and environmental challenge toward tissue engineering applications.