DefinePK

Abstract

Electro spinning can be used to produce nanoscale polymeric fibers. The fibrous structure inherent in the electro spun scaffolds provides large surface area and high porosity that allow the scaffolds to be potentially used for various applications including tissue engineering, wound dressing and filtration. However, it is difficult to control microstructure morphology of electro spun scaffolds, which is sensitive to various parameters. This paper reviews ways to control three important microstructure morphologies including fiber diameter, the formation of beads and pores. The review shows that electro spinning parameters including polymer solution concentration, voltage, tip-collector distance, solution feed rate, solvent selection, addition of salt, polymer molecular weight and humidity affect the scaffold morphology. Knowledge of complex interactions of these interrelated variables is still lacking. The review gives insight for the robust production of fibrous scaffolds with controlled microstructure morphology by using an electro spinning technique.