How Electrospinning works. What if you could get a synthetic material that you could use to repair damage in your body simply by weaving it like cloth? Or if you can cheaply manufacture a filter that is the hope of thousands of renal failure patients? Thanks to electrospinning technology, which dates back to the 16th century, this is possible today.
Electrospinning technique: Molecules in a liquid solution that are positively or negatively charged when subjected to a strong electric field try to move away from each other, just like the like ends of two magnets repel each other. This repulsion causes the liquid to assume the shape of a water droplet in the direction of the electric field. But the repulsive force reaches such a point that the liquid drop becomes longer and thinner like a rubber. As it moves through the air, the solution on the dry side collects as continuous filament fibers on a backing plate, much like a melted ball of yarn. With this method, thread-like structures can be achieved in the nanometer range, which are 20,000 times thinner than a human hair (in micrometers). This fibrous mass, conserved in many applications in the field of biomedicine, finds its place both in terms of its surface finish and in terms of physical properties.
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How electrospinning works
Electrospinning in the field of biomedicine: Materials in the field of biomedicine are expected to be used. These properties actually indicate the biocompatibility of the material with the biological system, although they vary depending on the application, the main properties expected from a biomaterial are roughness, porosity (voids) and surface mechanical properties.
how does electrospinning work
Although researchers have developed many methods over the years to achieve ideal biocompatibility, it is often not possible to easily achieve all desired properties. In recent years, researchers have come to the aid of thread-like structures.
electrospinning how it works
However, trying to exploit these advantages of string structures also introduces certain problems. First, not all materials can be made using traditional filament methods, especially those that interact with living cells.
Near field electrospinning how it works
In addition, the thickness of the yarns obtained is important for biomaterial applications and the porosity of the final structure, here too conventional methods are insufficient. Electrospinning technology, in turn, allows the use of many materials that are compatible with living cells.
Needleless electrospinning how it works
The first feature that comes to mind with electrospun filament structures is their high surface area. This property means that the material can have more contact with the external environment. Electrospun structures are therefore particularly well suited for particle retention systems, i.e. biofilter applications. Studies show that the use of electrospun polymer filament structures is effective in blood purification. In this way, cost-effective filters, i.e. artificial kidneys, are to be produced for patients with kidney failure in the future.
Wound and burn dressings, which are made from a combination of electrospun filament materials with a hydrophobic (water-repellent) layer surface, keep both moisture and microbes out of the external environment, keeping the wound moist on the skin and rich in nutrients as they heal wounds. – In many wound and burn dressing materials on the market, silver particles are added to these filamentary structures to create antibacterial properties.