Recent advances in polymer scaffolds for biomedical applications

Abstract

The review provides insights into current advancements in electrospinning-assisted manufacturing for optimally designing biomedical devices for their prospective applications in tissue engineering, wound healing, drug delivery, sensing, and enzyme immobilization, and others. Further, the evolution of electrospinning-based hybrid biomedical devices using a combined approach of 3 D printing and/or film casting/molding, to design dimensionally stable membranes/micro-nanofibrous assemblies/patches/porous surfaces, etc. is reported. The influence of various electrospinning parameters, polymeric material, testing environment, and other allied factors on the morphological and physico-mechanical properties of electrospun (nano-/micro-fibrous) mats (EMs) and fibrous assemblies have been compiled and critically discussed. The spectrum of operational research and statistical approaches that are now being adopted for efficient optimization of electrospinning process parameters so as to obtain the desired response (physical and structural attributes) has prospectively been looked into. Further, the present review summarizes some current limitations and future perspectives for modeling architecturally novel hybrid 3 D/selectively textured structural assemblies, such as biocompatible, non-toxic, and bioresorbable mats/scaffolds/membranes/patches with apt mechanical stability, as biological substrates for various regenerative and non-regenerative therapeutic devices.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Electrospinning
• biomedical devices
• patches
• nanofibers
• manufacturing process parameters

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The current research was supported by the research grant provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, vide research grant: No. 5/3/8/3/2019-ITR and 5/3/8/45/2020-ITR) and financial support from MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource and Development), India.