lead to discontinuous fiber pattern or beaded defects [8]. The
extrinsic operating parameters include voltage and stage speed.
An optimal voltage is to be determined for each polymer solution. Insufficient voltage can result in discontinuous fiber pattern, whereas excess voltage can cause increase and fluctuations
in fiber diameters. The stage speed should match the polymer
dispense rate, so that the droplet is refreshed in time with the
initiators. The ambient factors include the temperature,
humidity, and air flow. The optimal temperature and humidity
should be determined for each polymer solution. For the solutions listed in Table 1, room temperature and humidity are
suitable for LEP. The air flow should be at minimum to avoid
disruptions to the fiber alignment.
7. Some suspended fibers may be linking the initiators and the
collecting substrate. Removing the substrate directly could
damage the fiber pattern. A convenient method is to use a
razor blade to cut the suspended fibers from the initiators
before removing the substrate.
8. Rinse gently to avoid damage to the fiber pattern. Ensure the
PDMS is sticking firmly to the bottom of the petri-dish.
9. For cell seeding onto the patterned device, it may be beneficial
to remove a small volume of the medium in the petri-dish, so
that the medium layer is around 1 mm above the sample
surface. Seed the cells and incubate at 37
C for 12 h to
establish cell attachment. Then top up the medium.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank EPSRC for providing the funding for this
study.
References
1. Schiffman JD, Schauer CL (2008) A review:
electrospinning of biopolymer nanofibers and
their applications. Polym Rev 48:317–352
2. Sill TJ, Recum HAV (2008) Electrospinning:
applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. Biomaterials 29:1989–2006
3. Stitzel J, Liu J, Lee SL, Komura M, Berry J,
Soker S, Lim G, Van Dyke M, Czerw R, Yoo JJ
et al (2006) Controlled fabrication of a
biological vascular substitute. Biomaterials
27:1088–1094
4. Schnell E, Klinkhammer K, Balzer S, Brook G,
Klee D, Dalton P, Mey J (2007) Guidance of
glial cell migration and axonal growth on electrospun nanofibers of poly-ε-caprolactone and
a collagen/poly-ε-caprolactone blend. Biomaterials 19:3012–3025
5. Sahoo S, Ouyang H, Goh JCH, Tay T, Toh S
(2006) Characterization of a novel polymeric
scaffold for potential application in tendon/
ligament tissue engineering. Tissue Eng
12:91–99
6. Zeugolis DI, Khew ST, Yew ES, Ekaputra AK,
Tong YW, Yung LYL, Hutmacher DW,
Sheppard C, Raghunath M (2008) Electrospinning of pure collagen nano-fibres–just an
expensive way to make gelatin? Biomaterials
29:2293–2305
7. Reneker DH, Yarin AL, Fong H, Koombhongse S (2000) Bending instability of
134
Zhaoying Li et al.
extrinsic operating parameters include voltage and stage speed.
An optimal voltage is to be determined for each polymer solution. Insufficient voltage can result in discontinuous fiber pattern, whereas excess voltage can cause increase and fluctuations
in fiber diameters. The stage speed should match the polymer
dispense rate, so that the droplet is refreshed in time with the
initiators. The ambient factors include the temperature,
humidity, and air flow. The optimal temperature and humidity
should be determined for each polymer solution. For the solutions listed in Table 1, room temperature and humidity are
suitable for LEP. The air flow should be at minimum to avoid
disruptions to the fiber alignment.
7. Some suspended fibers may be linking the initiators and the
collecting substrate. Removing the substrate directly could
damage the fiber pattern. A convenient method is to use a
razor blade to cut the suspended fibers from the initiators
before removing the substrate.
8. Rinse gently to avoid damage to the fiber pattern. Ensure the
PDMS is sticking firmly to the bottom of the petri-dish.
9. For cell seeding onto the patterned device, it may be beneficial
to remove a small volume of the medium in the petri-dish, so
that the medium layer is around 1 mm above the sample
surface. Seed the cells and incubate at 37
C for 12 h to
establish cell attachment. Then top up the medium.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank EPSRC for providing the funding for this
study.
References
1. Schiffman JD, Schauer CL (2008) A review:
electrospinning of biopolymer nanofibers and
their applications. Polym Rev 48:317–352
2. Sill TJ, Recum HAV (2008) Electrospinning:
applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. Biomaterials 29:1989–2006
3. Stitzel J, Liu J, Lee SL, Komura M, Berry J,
Soker S, Lim G, Van Dyke M, Czerw R, Yoo JJ
et al (2006) Controlled fabrication of a
biological vascular substitute. Biomaterials
27:1088–1094
4. Schnell E, Klinkhammer K, Balzer S, Brook G,
Klee D, Dalton P, Mey J (2007) Guidance of
glial cell migration and axonal growth on electrospun nanofibers of poly-ε-caprolactone and
a collagen/poly-ε-caprolactone blend. Biomaterials 19:3012–3025
5. Sahoo S, Ouyang H, Goh JCH, Tay T, Toh S
(2006) Characterization of a novel polymeric
scaffold for potential application in tendon/
ligament tissue engineering. Tissue Eng
12:91–99
6. Zeugolis DI, Khew ST, Yew ES, Ekaputra AK,
Tong YW, Yung LYL, Hutmacher DW,
Sheppard C, Raghunath M (2008) Electrospinning of pure collagen nano-fibres–just an
expensive way to make gelatin? Biomaterials
29:2293–2305
7. Reneker DH, Yarin AL, Fong H, Koombhongse S (2000) Bending instability of
134
Zhaoying Li et al.