Hollow electrospun mats from biobased-polybutylene succinate and thermoplastic polyurethane blends for dermal wound dressing

In recent years, environmental pollution and plastic waste have become a significant problem worldwide. The long-term retention of single-use plastic waste in nature harms ecosystems and threatens biodiversity. Sustainable solutions such as increasing recycling processes and using biodegradable and environmentally friendly materials are gaining importance to prevent environmental pollution. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is widely used in wound dressing studies, but its petroleum-derived nature prevents recycling. When TPU is used by mixing it with a biodegradable polymer such as polybutylene succinate, polylactic acid (PLA), and polycaprolactone (PCL) a partially biodegradable and environmentally friendly structure is obtained. Moreover, the biological advantages of TPU continue to be utilized. In this study, eco-friendly hollow electrospun mats were produced from biocompatible biobased polybutylene succinate (BioPBS) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) mixtures in different ratios (80:20, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, and 20:80, w:w) by coaxial electrospinning. It was planned to produce biomedical materials that exhibit liquid absorption behavior by emptying the core of hydrophobic BioPBS/TPU mixture nanofibers. Hollow BioPBS/TPU nanofibers were designed to be used as skin wound dressings in exuding wounds. Hollow electrospun mats, which absorb water to their full capacity, dried within 2 and 3 min. Ethanol used to remove the core of the fiber was reported to improve the fiber properties relative to the use of distilled water. PBS/TPU (60/40, w/w) electrospun mat was reported to have the densest fibrous structure, smoothest fibers, and least sticky fibers. FTIR spectra showed that PBS and TPU interacted physically. The mechanical properties of nanofibers were improved owing to the high surface/volume ratio, which increased with the PBS/TPU mixture and hollow structure. It was stated that hollow nanofibers met the tensile stress (1–20 MPa) value that could be used as a skin tissue wound dressing. PBS/TPU (60/40, w/w) and PBS/TPU (50/50, w/w) electrospun mats had the highest fibroblast cell (L929) viability with values of 80.64% and 71.44%, respectively. It was suggested that these nanofibers could be used as a dermal wound dressing for 24 h.

Graphical Abstract