Preparation and characterization of biodegradable poly (ɛ-caprolactone) -based blend nanofibers as a biomedical scaffolds

Nanofibrous substrates of synthetic polymers including poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) have shown considerable potential in tissue regeneration. In this study, a blend nanofiber scaffold was prepared using two synthetic polymers, poly (ɛ-caprolactone) and polyglycolic acid (PGA), using the electro spinning method. In order to confirm the properties of the PCL/PGA blend nanofiber scaffold, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), contact angle and bio degradation test were performed. The results of the experiments showed that the PC L/PGA blend nanofibers have an average diameter of around 200 nm. Although the PCL nanofiber was hydrophobic, presence of PGA improved the water affinity significantly. An in vitro degradation study of PCL/PGA blend nanofibers was conducted in phosphate-buffered saline, pH 7.2 and it was found that the degradation rates of PCL/PGA blend nanofibers were faster than that of the pure PCL nanofibers.