There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

http://nathan.instras.com/ResearchProposalDB/doc-109.pdf

A review on polymer nanofibers by electrospinning and their applications in nanocomposites

New generations of synthetic biomaterials are being developed at a rapid pace for use as three-dimensional extracellular microenvironments to mimic the regulatory characteristics of natural extracellular matrices (ECMs) and ECM-bound growth factors, both for therapeutic applications and basic biological studies. Recent advances include nanofibrillar networks formed by self-assembly of small building blocks, artificial ECM networks from protein polymers or peptide-conjugated synthetic polymers that present bioactive ligands and respond to cell-secreted signals to enable proteolytic remodeling. These materials have already found application in differentiating stem cells into neurons, repairing bone and inducing angiogenesis. Although modern synthetic biomaterials represent oversimplified mimics of natural ECMs lacking the essential natural temporal and spatial complexity, a growing symbiosis of materials engineering and cell biology may ultimately result in synthetic materials that contain the necessary signals to recapitulate developmental processes in tissue- and organ-specific differentiation and morphogenesis.

https://sisu.ut.ee/sites/default/files/quantum/files/synthetic_biomaterials_as_instructive_extracellular_microenvironments_for_morphogenesis_in_tissue_engineering_lutolf_m.p_hubbell_j.a_2005_0.pdf

Synthetic biomaterials as instructive extracellular microenvironments for morphogenesis in tissue engineering

Electrospinning: a fascinating fiber fabrication technique.

Electrospinning is a highly versatile method to process solutions or melts, mainly of polymers, into continuous fibers with diameters ranging from a few micrometers to a few nanometers. This technique is applicable to virtually every soluble or fusible polymer. The polymers can be chemically modified and can also be tailored with additives ranging from simple carbon-black particles to complex species such as enzymes, viruses, and bacteria. Electrospinning appears to be straightforward, but is a rather intricate process that depends on a multitude of molecular, process, and technical parameters. The method provides access to entirely new materials, which may have complex chemical structures. Electrospinning is not only a focus of intense academic investigation; the technique is already being applied in many technological areas.

Electrospinning: A Fascinating Method for the Preparation of Ultrathin Fibers

Electrospinning polydioxanone for biomedical applications.

The invention is directed to formation and use of electroprocessed collagen, including use as an extracellular matrix and, together with cells, its use in forming engineered tissue. The engineered tissue can include the synthetic manufacture of specific organs or tissues which may be implanted into a recipient. The electroprocessed collagen may also be combined with other molecules in order to deliver substances to the site of application or implantation of the electroprocessed collagen. The collagen or collagen/cell suspension is electrodeposited onto a substrate to form tissues and organs.

Electroprocessed Collagen and Tissue Engineering

In this study we describe how to use a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D FFT) approach to measure fiber alignment in electrospun materials. This image processing function can be coupled with a variety of imaging modalities to assign an objective numerical value to scaffold anisotropy. A data image of an electrospun scaffold is composed of pixels that depict the spatial organization of the constituent fibers. The 2D FFT function converts this spatial information into a mathematically defined frequency domain that maps the rate at which pixel intensities change across the original data image. This output image also contains quantitative information concerning the orientation of objects in a data image. We discuss the theory and practice of using the frequency plot of the 2D FFT function to measure relative scaffold anisotropy and identify the principal axis of fiber orientation. We note that specific degrees of scaffold anisotropy may represent a critical design feature in the fabrication of tissue...

Measuring fiber alignment in electrospun scaffolds: a user's guide to the 2D fast Fourier transform approach

A suitable technique for articular cartilage repair and replacement is necessitated by inadequacies of current methods. Electrospinning has potential in cartilage repair by producing scaffolds with fiber diameters in the range of native extracellular matrix. Chondrocytes seeded onto such scaffolds may prefer this environment for differentiation and proliferation, thus approaching functional cartilage replacement tissue. Scaffolds of collagen type II were created by an electrospinning technique. Individual scaffold specimens were prepared and evaluated as uncross-linked, cross-linked, or crosslinked/seeded. Uncross-linked scaffolds contained a minimum and average fiber diameter of 70 and 496 nm, respectively, whereas cross-linked scaffolds possessed diameters of 140 nm and 1.46 microm. The average thickness for uncross-linked scaffolds was 0.20 +/- 0.02 mm and 0.52 +/- 0.07 mm for cross-linked scaffolds. Uniaxial tensile tests of uncross-linked scaffolds revealed an average tangent modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and ultimate strain of 172.5 +/- 36.1 MPa, 3.3 +/- 0.3 MPa, and 0.026 +/- 0.005 mm/mm, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy of cross-linked scaffolds cultured with chondrocytes demonstrated the ability of the cells to infiltrate the scaffold surface and interior. Electrospun collagen type II scaffolds produce a suitable environment for chondrocyte growth, which potentially establishes the foundation for the development of articular cartilage repair.

Gary L. Bowlin

Papers

Electrospinning polydioxanone for biomedical applications.

Electroprocessed Collagen and Tissue Engineering

Measuring fiber alignment in electrospun scaffolds: a user's guide to the 2D fast Fourier transform approach

Mechanical Properties and Cellular Proliferation of Electrospun Collagen Type II

A three-layered electrospun matrix to mimic native arterial architecture using polycaprolactone, elastin, and collagen: a preliminary study.