Initial Study on Fibers and Coatings for the Fabrication of Bioscaffolds

Abstract

Scaffolds composed of a mixture of poly (L-lactic) acid (PLLA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) biodegradable polymers were prepared by electrospinning. Three-dimensional scaffolds of highly porous non-woven fibers were produced for biomedical applications and coated with calcium phosphate for bone tissue engineering. A mixture (80/20) of PLLA/PEG was dissolved at 5.7%, 7%, 8% and 9% blend solution concentration. The structure and morphology of the scaffolds were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Average fiber diameters ranging from 600 nm to 800 nm were obtained as result of the change in viscosity. For low polymer concentration fibers were flat with fused junction between fibers. For high polymer concentrations fibers were cylindrical with fibers overlaying each other. For samples deposited at 9% concentration, individual fibers contained pores on their surface with nanometric dimensions. In addition, thin films of calcium deficient hydroxyapatite were prepared by rf magnetron sputtering on silicon substrates heated to temperatures between 300-600°C. These results suggest that it is feasible to fabricate biopolymer scaffolds by the combination of electrospinning and sputtering techniques.