GELATIN AND GELATIN-HYALURONIC ACID NANOFIBROUS MEMBRANES PRODUCED BY ELECTROSPINNING OF THEIR AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

摘要

Due to the formation of gel below 37°C, it was believed that it was impossible to electrospin gelatin (GE) aqueous solution. However, in our study, electrospinning of gelatin from aqueous solution was realized. In order to prevent the gel formation of gelatin aqueous solution, the environmental temperature and the spinning solution temperature were controlled above the critical gelation temperature. It was found that smooth GE fibers could be electrospun when the concentration of gelatin aqueous solution reached up to 15·w/v%. The effect of surface tension, viscosity and conductivity of GE aqueous solution on fiber formation and fiber diameter were discussed. This study not only provided a novel and practical method to electrospin gelatin aqueous solution without having to worry about the negative effect of toxic organic solvent used for GE electrospinning, but also found the basic fundamentals for electrospinning of GE aqueous solution. The bi-component fibrous membranes consisting of GE and hyaluronic acid (HA) in the form of nonwoven and orderly alignment fibers were successfully fabricated. The water-resistant GE and GE/HA nanofibrous membranes were produced by chemical crosslinking. The GE/HA nanofibrous materials with controlled fiber diameter and topography are expected to have potential applications in many biomedical aspects.