ELECTROSPINNING OF BIOMATERIALS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS IN TISSUE ENGINEERING
Abstract
Electrospinning is a process for generating micrometer or nanometer scale polymer fibers with large surface areas and high porosity. For tissue engineering research, the electrospinning technique provides a quick way to fabricate fibrous scaffolds with dimensions comparable to the extracellular matrix (ECM). A variety of materials can be used in the electrospinning process, including natural biomaterials as well as synthetic polymers. The natural biomaterials have advantages such as excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, which can be more suitable for making biomimic scaffolds. In the last two decades, there have been growing numbers of studies of biomaterial fibrous scaffolds using the electrospinning process. In this review, we will discuss biomaterials in the electrospinning process and their applications in tissue engineering.