Electrospun polylactic acid/date palm polyphenol extract nanofibres for tissue engineering applications

In this study, a set of polylactic acid (PLA)/polyphenol extracted from date palm fruit (DP) blends were prepared by electrospinning process to be used as cell culture scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. For this purpose, PLA/DP blends with variable composition were dissolved in dichloromethane/dimethylformamide (70:30, v/v) mixture and then electrospun to obtain the fibres. Contact angle measurements, dynamic mechanical analysis, mechanical tensile and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tools were used to study the physico-mechanical properties of the electrospun scaffolds. The results revealed that scaffolds became more hydrophilic with addition of DP. Increasing the polyphenol concentration caused the tensile strength and Young’s modulus to decrease. The SEM graphs indicated a decrease in fibre diameter with increasing DP content. In addition, it was found that both cell proliferation and cell viability were enhanced with increased DP concentration within the scaffolds. The scratch test shows that there is an enhancement in cell migration through the scratch for PLA/DP scaffolds; again, higher DP content resulted better migration. Our results suggest that improved mechanical properties, decreased fibre diameter and enhanced hydrophilicity with addition of DP improved cell migration and cell adhesion for the scaffolds. Overall, these results demonstrate that DP is a potential natural cell-friendly product for tissue engineering applications such as tissue regeneration or wound healing assays.Other Information Published in: Emergent Materials License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42247-019-00042-8</p

Mesoporous silica filled smart super oleophilic fibers of triblock copolymer nanocomposites for oil absorption applications

Super oleophilic fibers of styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) block copolymer/mesoporous silica (MS) nanocomposites are fabricated by electrospinning, and their oil absorption efficiency is monitored by following two different approaches. The first way is by using the fibers as tubular packing materials for oil absorption, whereas the second approach uses the fibers as filtration membrane after deposition on the commercial polyethersulfone (PES) support. All composites are made by adding inorganic MS in different concentrations (2, 4, and 7 wt.%) to SIS block copolymer. The addition of MS increases the fiber diameters and leads to enlarged and bead-like appearances, especially at higher filler concentrations. The oil absorption efficiency is explored based on the oil absorption capacity of the samples as well as with the gravity-driven oil filtration experiments. The best oil absorption efficiency is achieved by the 4 wt.% SIS-MS composite (150% higher oil absorption capacity compared to the neat SIS), and it is used to spin on the PES mechanical support of different pore sizes (0.2 μ and 8 μ). Ultrafiltration tests conducted on those coated membranes observe improved oil rejection performance as the fibrous SIS-MS are layered on the commercial mechanical support.Other Information Published in: Emergent Materials License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42247-020-00111-3</p

Temperature dependence of σ_dc for the Ti₃C₂T_x/CNC/PVA nanofiber samples with different composition.

<p>Temperature dependence of σ_dc for the Ti₃C₂T_x/CNC/PVA nanofiber samples with different composition.</p

TGA of PVA electrospun nanofibers containing CNC and Ti₃C₂T_X fillers.

<p>TGA of PVA electrospun nanofibers containing CNC and Ti₃C₂T_X fillers.</p

DC conductivity vs. frequency at 20°C for the Ti₃C₂T_x/CNC/PVA nanofiber samples with different composition.

<p>DC conductivity vs. frequency at 20°C for the Ti₃C₂T_x/CNC/PVA nanofiber samples with different composition.</p

Dynamic mechanical analysi of electrospun mats.

<p>A) Storage modulus of PVA samples contain CNC and Ti₃C₂T_X fillers; B) tan δ of PVA fibres contain CNC and Ti₃C₂T_X fillers.</p

Mechanical properties of prepared PVA electrospun nanofibers.

<p>Young´s modulus, B) Tensile strength and C) Elongation at break.</p

Composition of prepared 15 wt.% PVA solutions.

<p>Composition of prepared 15 wt.% PVA solutions.</p

SEM images of electrospun nanofibers.

<p>A) SEM images of the reinforced PVA nanofibers at different loading of CNC and Ti₃C₂T_X (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0183705#pone.0183705.t001" target="_blank">Table 1</a>), B) dispersion pattern of Ti₃C₂T_X shown by EDS mapping of sample C₀M₂ where; C (yellow), O (oxygen) and Ti (green).</p

2D and 3D AFM phase images of A) C₂M₀, B) C₀M₂ and C) C₁M₁.

<p>2D and 3D AFM phase images of A) C₂M₀, B) C₀M₂ and C) C₁M₁.</p