Melt electrospinning writing of three-dimensional star poly(E-caprolactone) scaffolds

In the last decade, the melt-electrospinning technique has gained attention for the production of highly porous microfibrous tissue engineering scaffolds. The possibility of processing polymers without the use of organic solvents is one of the main advantages over solution electrospinning. In this study, computer-controlled melt-electrospinning of a commercial poly(E-caprolactone) and of two batches with different molecular weights of a three-arm star poly(E-caprolactone) by means of a screw-extruder-based additive manufacturing system is reported. Experimental parameters such as processing temperature, extrusion flow rate and applied voltage were studied and optimized in order to obtain non-woven meshes with uniform fibre morphology. Applying the optimized parameters, three-dimensional scaffolds were produced using a layer-by-layer approach (090 degrees lay-down pattern). (c) 2013 Society of Chemical Industry