ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Nanomechanical characterization of electrospun biodegradable vascular scaffolds

Emel Berna Yilmaz, Sinan Eğri, Özlem Eğri, and Mustafa Oguzhan Caglayan

Department of Bioengineering, Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat, Turkey

E-mail: oguzhan.caglayan@bilecik.edu.tr

Received: 21 October 2019  Accepted: 2 May 2020

Abstract:

We proposed a method to determine the mechanical properties of electrospun nanofibers intended for use in vascular tissue engineering. Mechanical properties of poly(l-lactide) and poly(ε-caprolactone) copolymers and blends which are in fiber form were tested using the nanoindentation technique. Individual nanofibers were prone to give overweighed distributions in terms of E moduli in indentation testing. An increased compressive elastic modulus of 17 MPa was obtained in case of an increasing amount of poly(ε-caprolactone) in the fibers. It has also been found that the Hertzian model of compression is not adequate to model the elastic deformation of individual fibers.

Keywords: Vascular scaffolds; Electrospun nanofiber; Nanoindentation; Compressive elastic modulus

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-020-01183-5

Chemical Papers 74 (10) 3467–3474 (2020)