Nils Sprengel

Master student

Advanced functionalization of electrospun nanofibers

 

Supervisors: Dr. Liliana Liverani, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Electrospinning is a versatile technique for fabricating fiber meshes with control over morphology, size, porosity, surface area and topography by varying the processing parameters. This gives rise to many different applications, like drug or gene delivery, as wound dressings or in tissue engineering [1]. In the present project the functionalization of fibers will be investigated by different approaches, including by adding natural components, using electrically conductive nanofibers, and creating composite fibers by addition or inorganic nanoparticles. Furthermore benign solvents will be explored to reduce the toxicity and the environmental impact compared to commonly used solvents [2].

[1] V. Pillay et al., A Review of the Effect of Processing Variables on the Fabrication of Electrospun Nanofibers for Drug Delivery Applications, Journal of Nanomaterials, Volume 2013, Article ID 789289.

[2] L. Liverani, J.A. Roether, A.R. Boccaccini, Nanofiber composites in bone tissue engineering, Nanofiber Composites for Biomedical Applications, 2017, pages 301-323.