Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 15
Aaron S. Goldstein,
a*
Christopher A. Bashur,
a
and Joel Berry
b
a
Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
b
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
*aaron.goldstein@vt.edu
15.1 Overview
With its initial application for the processing of biomaterials a
decade ago, electrospinning has rapidly become a promising tech-
nologyforthegenerationofscaffoldsfortissueengineeringapplica-
tions, including bone,
1
ligament,
2
blood vessel,
3
peripheral nerve,
4
skin,
5
cartilage,
6
muscle,
7
heart, and heart valve.
8
The discovery of
electrospinning as a phenomenon dates back at least 100 years,
9
but its rediscovery a decade ago coincided with the emergence of
nanotechnology and tissue engineering. Specifically, the diameters
of electrospun fibers (typically 0.1 to 5
μ
m)—which are compara-
ble in size to large collagen fibrils (50-300 nm) and can guide cell
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