Influencia de gelatina sobre las propiedades de membranas de nanofibras obtenidas de polímeros sintéticos

Zusammenfassung

The electrospinning technique is an emerging and relatively easy technique for preparing three-dimensional membranes with micro and nanofibers. To achieve this, aqueous solutions of synthetic or natural polymers are used. In general, synthetic polymers tend to be used, since it allows greater control of the properties of the fibers obtained, as well as a better processability. However, these synthetic polymers are usually combined with natural polymers to improve the hydrophilic character of the membranes or to resemble the optimum mechanical properties for their subsequent biological treatment. Therefore, this study evaluates the influence of a biopolymer on the properties of nanofiber scaffolds obtained from synthetic polymers. As a natural polymer, a protein such as gelatin has been selected because of its biocompatibility and biodegradability; while policaprolactone (PCL) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have been used as synthetic polymers. Thus, a standard electrospinning process (15 kV, 0.4 mL/h and 10 cm of working distance) was carried out to obtain nanofibrous membranes. The influence of the addition of gelatin was observed by analyzing the water contact angle and the images obtained by scanning electron microscopy.