Chapter 9
Production of Scaffolds Using Melt Electrospinning Writing
and Cell Seeding
Eleonore C. L. Bolle, Deanna Nicdao, Paul D. Dalton, and Tim R. Dargaville
Abstract
Melt electrospinning writing (MEW) is a solvent-free fabrication method for making polymer fiber scaffolds
with features which include large surface area, high porosity, and controlled deposition of the fibers. These
scaffolds are ideal for tissue engineering applications. Here we describe how to produce scaffolds made from
poly(ε-caprolactone) using MEW and the seeding of primary human-derived dermal fibroblasts to create
cell-scaffold constructs. The same methodology could be used with any number of cell types and MEW
scaffold designs.
Key words Direct writing, Fibroblast, Melt electrospinning writing, Scaffold, Tissue engineering
1 Introduction
Melt electrospinning writing (MEW) (also referred to as melt electrowriting [1] or melt electrohydrodynamic plotting [2]) is an
additive manufacturing technique for creating micro- to nanopolymer fibers arranged in a pattern defined by a digitally controlled
moving collector. MEW involves the extrusion of a molten polymer
to a charged spinneret where an electrified molten polymer jet is
drawn toward a moving grounded or oppositely charged collector
plate. As the electrified jet travels from the spinneret to the collector, it cools and crystalizes leaving the solid polymer fiber on the
collector. As is the case with direct-writing approaches, the movement of the collector defines the lay-down pattern, and due to the
gap between the spinneret and collector (the collector distance),
the process can be considered non-direct-contact. A schematic of a
MEW device is shown in Fig. 1. For a detailed account of the
evolution of MEW and examples of many of the possible applications, the reader is guided to these excellent reviews: [3–6].
There are two important advantages of MEW for the manufacture of tissue engineering scaffolds compared to other scaffold
Alberto Rainer and Lorenzo Moroni (eds.), Computer-Aided Tissue Engineering: Methods and Protocols,
Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2147, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0611-7_9,
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021
111
Production of Scaffolds Using Melt Electrospinning Writing
and Cell Seeding
Eleonore C. L. Bolle, Deanna Nicdao, Paul D. Dalton, and Tim R. Dargaville
Abstract
Melt electrospinning writing (MEW) is a solvent-free fabrication method for making polymer fiber scaffolds
with features which include large surface area, high porosity, and controlled deposition of the fibers. These
scaffolds are ideal for tissue engineering applications. Here we describe how to produce scaffolds made from
poly(ε-caprolactone) using MEW and the seeding of primary human-derived dermal fibroblasts to create
cell-scaffold constructs. The same methodology could be used with any number of cell types and MEW
scaffold designs.
Key words Direct writing, Fibroblast, Melt electrospinning writing, Scaffold, Tissue engineering
1 Introduction
Melt electrospinning writing (MEW) (also referred to as melt electrowriting [1] or melt electrohydrodynamic plotting [2]) is an
additive manufacturing technique for creating micro- to nanopolymer fibers arranged in a pattern defined by a digitally controlled
moving collector. MEW involves the extrusion of a molten polymer
to a charged spinneret where an electrified molten polymer jet is
drawn toward a moving grounded or oppositely charged collector
plate. As the electrified jet travels from the spinneret to the collector, it cools and crystalizes leaving the solid polymer fiber on the
collector. As is the case with direct-writing approaches, the movement of the collector defines the lay-down pattern, and due to the
gap between the spinneret and collector (the collector distance),
the process can be considered non-direct-contact. A schematic of a
MEW device is shown in Fig. 1. For a detailed account of the
evolution of MEW and examples of many of the possible applications, the reader is guided to these excellent reviews: [3–6].
There are two important advantages of MEW for the manufacture of tissue engineering scaffolds compared to other scaffold
Alberto Rainer and Lorenzo Moroni (eds.), Computer-Aided Tissue Engineering: Methods and Protocols,
Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2147, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0611-7_9,
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021
111