Alternating field electrospinning of blended fish gelatin/poly (e-caprolactone) nanofibers

Blended nanofibrous biomaterials from natural and synthetic sources show promise for better biointegration. This study explores high-yield alternating field electrospinning (AFES) of blended cold-water fish skin gelatin (FGEL) and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous meshes with up to 30 wt% PCL at 7.8-14.4 g/h fiber productivity, depending on the composition. FGEL/PCL nanofibers reveal smooth surface morphology and 237-313 nm average diameters after thermal crosslinking. FTIR analysis indicated little FGEL/PCL interaction and notable changes in PCL crystallinity in the crosslinked nanofibers. A 14-days in-vitro analysis shows good cellular viability and nanofibrous FGEL/PCL mesh stability. Results demonstrate that AFES provides efficient, scalable production of blended FGEL/PCL nanofibrous biomaterials with suitable characteristics.

Automated summary

This study investigates the production of blended nanofibrous biomaterials using high-yield alternating field electrospinning (AFES) of cold-water fish skin gelatin (FGEL) and polycaprolactone (PCL). The resulting FGEL/PCL nanofibers exhibited smooth surface morphology and average diameters ranging from 237-313 nm after thermal crosslinking. In-vitro analysis demonstrated good cellular viability and mesh stability of the FGEL/PCL nanofibrous biomaterials. AFES proves to be an efficient and scalable method for producing FGEL/PCL nanofibrous biomaterials with desired characteristics.