Impact of Chain Length on Release Behavior of Modified Polyethylene Glycol Intercalated-Montmorillonite Nanocomposite.

A new drug delivery nanocomposite system was prepared from sodium montmorillonite (Na+Mt) intercalated with modified polyethylene glycol (PEG). PEGs of different molecular weights (400, 4000, and 8000) were modified with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTMAC) to provide terminal quaternary ammonium sites capable for attaching with Mt or other materials through ion exchange. The modified PEG-GTMAC derivatives were reacted in excess amount with Na+Mt through ion exchange. The remaining quaternary sites were used for the attachment of sodium diclofenac as a model drug. The structures of the prepared clay-modified PEG-diclofenac systems were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The release behavior of diclofenac from the different nanocomposites was studied at different pH values. With regard to the PEG chain length, the drug release increased with increasing PEG molecular weight (GCDIII > GCD-III > GCDII > GCDI). The kinetics of the release models was discussed using Korsmeyer-Peppas, Higuchi, and zero- and first-order models. The results of the kinetics study revealed that modified samples with PEG 400 and PEG 4000 (GCD-I and GCDII) exhibited non-Fickian diffusion (anomalous transport) while modified samples with PEG 8000 (GCDIII) exhibited super case-II transport.

Tissue Constructs with Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Treat Bone Defects in Rats.

The use of porous scaffolds created by additive manufacturing is considered a viable approach for the regeneration of critical-size bone defects. This paper investigates the xenotransplantation of polycaprolactone (PCL) tissue constructs seeded with differentiated and undifferentiated human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) to treat calvarial critical-sized defect in Wistar rats. PCL scaffolds without cells were also considered. In vitro and in vivo biological evaluations were performed to assess the feasibility of these different approaches. In the case of cell seeded scaffolds, it was possible to observe the presence of hADSCs in the rat tissue contributing directly (osteoblasts) and indirectly (stimulation by paracrine factors) to tissue formation, organization and mineralization. The presence of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in the rat tissue treated with cell-seeded PCL scaffolds suggests that the paracrine factors of undifferentiated hADSC cells could stimulate BMP-2 production by surrounding cells, leading to osteogenesis. Moreover, BMP-2 acts synergistically with growth factors to induce angiogenesis, leading to higher numbers of blood vessels in the groups containing undifferentiated and differentiated hADSCs.

Fabrication of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/dextran nanofibers via emulsion process as drug delivery system: Kinetics and in vitro release study.

A green electrospinning was used for the fabrication of PVA/Dex (dextran sulfate) nanofibers as a carrier for drug delivery. Core-shell nanofibers were fabricated by emulsion electrospinning from PVA/Dex loaded with ciprofloxacin (Cipro) as a model drug. The ratio of the PVA/Dex mixture was optimized and nanofibers were stabilized against disintegration in water by thermal treatment at 120 °C. The morphology of the prepared nanofibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the core-shell structure of the nanofibers was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Drug entrapment was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The interaction between PVA and Dex was affirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In vitro drug release was monitored by UV-vis spectrophotometer and its associated mechanism was studied using diverse kinetic models. The release study demonstrated that the core-shell nanofibers can sustain the Cipro release compared with the blending electrospinning nanofibers. Moreover, the drug release mechanism is controlled by the Dex content of the polymer blends and can occur by diffusion within the delivery system. It is anticipated that Cipro@PVA/Dex nanofibers are promising eco-friendly drug delivery system which can be prepared by a green method.

Low Temperature Synthesis of Cobalt-Chromium Carbide Nanoparticles-Doped Carbon Nanofibers.

Electrospinning has been used to synthesize cobalt-chromium carbide nanoparticles (NPs)-doped carbon nanofibers (CNFs) (Composite). Electrospun mat comprising of cobalt acetate, chromium acetate and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) has been carbonized at low temperature (850 °C) for 3 h under argon atmosphere to produce the introduced composite. The process was achieved at low temperature due to the presence of cobalt as an activator. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with EDX techniques were used to determine the products characteristics. The results indicated the formation of pure cobalt (Co), Cr7C3 NPs and crystalline CNFs. The Co and Cr7C3 NPs were covered with CNFs. Overall, the proposed NFs open new avenue to prepare different metals-metal carbides-carbon NFs at low temperature and short reaction time.

Green Electrospining of Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Nanofibres for Drug Delivery Applications.

Electrospun nanofibers mats are green synthesized using hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) individually or in conjugation with either poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to enhance the mechanical properties of the nanofibers mats. Desirable attributes of the as-obtained nanofibers mats are manifested via using SEM, FT-IR, TGA and conventional tools for mechanical and physical properties. The obtained data from SEM images demonstrated that the diclofenac sodium (DS) loaded nanofibers mats did not provide significant change of the morphological structure to the mats. In addition the thermal stability and the visual and mechanical properties of PVA or PVP was dramatically enhanced with the addition of HPC. The in vitro sustained release of DS drug was controlled when loaded into electrospun nanofibers of HPC with either PVA or PVP.

Development of Nanofiber Sponges-Containing Nerve Guidance Conduit for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in Vivo.

In the study of hollow nerve guidance conduit (NGC), the dispersion of regenerated axons always confused researchers. To address this problem, filler-containing NGC was prepared, which showed better effect in the application of nerve tissue engineering. In this study, nanofiber sponges with abundant macropores, high porosity, and superior compressive strength were fabricated by electrospinning and freeze-drying. Poly(l-lactic acid-co-ε-caprolactone)/silk fibroin (PLCL/SF) nanofiber sponges were used as filler to prepare three-dimensional nanofiber sponges-containing (NS-containing) NGC. In order to study the effect of fillers for nerve regeneration, hollow NGC was set as control. In vitro cell viability studies indicated that the NS-containing NGC could enhance the proliferation of Schwann cells (SCs) due to the macroporous structure. The results of hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunofluorescence staining confirmed that SCs infiltrated into the nanofiber sponges. Subsequently, the NS-containing NGC was implanted in a rat sciatic nerve defect model to evaluate the effect in vivo. NS-containing NGC group performed better in nerve function recovery than hollow NGC group. In consideration of the walking track and triceps weight analysis, NS-containing NGC was close to the autograft group. In addition, histological and morphological analyses with HE and toluidine blue (TB) staining, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were conducted. Better nerve regeneration was observed on NS-containing NGC group both quantitatively and qualitatively. Furthermore, the results of three indexes' immuno-histochemistry and two indexes' immunofluorescence all indicated good nerve regeneration of NS-containing NGC as well, compared with hollow NGC. The results demonstrated NS-containing NGC had great potential in the application of peripheral nerve repair.

Influence of Capsaicin on Inflammatory Cytokines Induced by Lipopolysaccharide in Myoblast Cells Under In vitro Environment.

BACKGROUND: ellular damage initiated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is the main cause of numerous severe diseases and therefore for this reason, the natural antioxidants have note worthy significance in human health. Capsaicin possesses noteworthy analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. It also possesses healing effects for treatment of arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, gastric lesions, and cardiac excitability that is why it is incorporated in creams and gels. OBJECTIVE: The present study was carried out to estimate the in vitro antioxidant and ROS scavenging activities of capsaicin against muscle precursor cells. Till date, no investigation has been carried out to study the effect of capsaicin on myoblasts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Herein, the cytotoxicity was induced by endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to analyze the effect of capsaicin on LPS induced inflammation and apoptosis on muscle cells. To find out the toxicity of endotoxin, myoblasts were exposed to different concentrations of LPS, viability and morphology was checkedby the means of CCK-8 test and microscopy, respectively. Apoptotic cell death was examined by fluorescence staining. Additionally, LPS-induced apoptosis was determined by mRNAexpression of calpain, caspase-3 and tumor necrosisfactor alpha (TNF-α), and were quantified by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: The outcome of the presentstudy demonstrated that LPS stimulation generatestoxicity in dose-dependent manner. Pre-treatmentof myoblasts with capsaicin can considerably alleviate LPS-induced inflammation. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study indicates that dietetic supplementation of capsicum may help to alleviate/reduce the inflammatory effects and is therefore potent source of natural antioxidant agent which can be utilized to control muscle related diseases, such as myotube atrophy. SUMMARY: In the present study cytotoxicity was induced by LPS to analyze the effect of capsaicin on LPS induced inflammation and apoptosis on muscle cells.The results of this investigation demonstrated that LPS stimulation generates toxicity in dose dependent manner. Pre-treatment of myoblasts with capsaicin can considerably reduce LPS induced inflammation.It has been concluded on the basis of results that the dietetic supplementation of capsicum may help to minimize inflammatory effects and are potent sources of natural antioxidants which can be utilized to control muscle related diseases such as atrophy. Abbreviation used: AMP: Adenosine monophosphate, AO/EB: Acridine orange / Ethidium bromide, ATL: T-cell leukemi, CAP: Capsaicin, CCK-8: Cell counting Kit-8, CLSM: Laser Scanning Microscopy, DCF-DA: 2', 7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate, DMEM: Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium, DPPH: α, α-diphenyl-ß-picrylhydrazyl, FBS: Fetal bovine serum, KA: Kainic acid, LPS: Lipopolysaccharide, MDA: Malondialdehyde, NF-κB: Nuclear factor kgene binding, PBS: Phosphate buffer saline, pNA: p-nitroanilide, RNW: RNase free water, ROS: Reactive oxygen species, TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor alpha, TRPV1: Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1.

One-dimensional TiO2 Nanotube Photocatalysts for Solar Water Splitting.

Hydrogen production from water splitting by photo/photoelectron-catalytic process is a promising route to solve both fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution at the same time. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes have attracted much interest due to their large specific surface area and highly ordered structure, which has led to promising potential applications in photocatalytic degradation, photoreduction of CO2, water splitting, supercapacitors, dye-sensitized solar cells, lithium-ion batteries and biomedical devices. Nanotubes can be fabricated via facile hydrothermal method, solvothermal method, template technique and electrochemical anodic oxidation. In this report, we provide a comprehensive review on recent progress of the synthesis and modification of TiO2 nanotubes to be used for photo/photoelectro-catalytic water splitting. The future development of TiO2 nanotubes is also discussed.

Incorporation of amoxicillin-loaded organic montmorillonite into poly(ester-urethane) urea nanofibers as a functional tissue engineering scaffold.

A dual drug-loaded system is a promising alternative for the sustained drug release system and skin tissue engineering. In this study, a natural sodium montmorillonite (Na-MMT) modified by cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) was prepared as a carrier to load a model drug - amoxicillin (AMX), the modified organic montmorillonite (CTAB-OMMT) loaded with AMX was marked as AMX@CTAB-OMMT and was subsequently incorporated into poly(ester-urethane) urea (PEUU) and gelatin hybrid nanofibers via electrospinning, resulting in a new drug-loaded nanofibrous scaffold (AMX@CTAB-OMMT-PU75). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) result showed that the fiber morphology did not change after the embedding of AMX@CTAB-OMMT. Meanwhile, there was a significant increase of mechanical properties for PEUU/Gelatin hybrid nanofibers (PU75) after the incorporation of AMX@CTAB-OMMT and CTAB-OMMT. Importantly, AMX@CTAB-OMMT-PU75 nanofibers showed a kind of sustained drug release property which could be justified reasonably for the controlled release of AMX depending on the various application. The sustained release property could be identified roughly by the result of antibacterial test. The anaphylactic reaction test proved that there was no any anaphylactic reaction or inflammation on the back of rat for AMX@CTAB-OMMT-PU75 nanofibers. Consequently, the prepared drug-loaded AMX@CTAB-OMMT-PU75 nanofibrous scaffold is a promising candidate for application in the skin tissue engineering field and controlled drug release system.

Modified alginate and gelatin cross-linked hydrogels for soft tissue adhesive.

Soft tissue adhesives made from natural hydrogel are attractive in clinical applications due to their excellent properties, such as high water content, good biocompatibility, low immune, good biodegradability. Hydrogels derived from natural polysaccharides and proteins are ideal components for soft tissue adhesive since they resemble the extracellular matrices of the tissue composed of various sugar and amino acids-based macromolecules. In this paper, a series of novel tissue adhesives mixed by aldehyde sodium alginate (ASA) with amino gelatin (AG) were developed and characterized. The effect of aldehyde content in ASA and amino group content in AG on the properties of ASA/AG cross-linked hydrogel was measured. The results showed the gelling time, swelling behavior and the bonding strength of the hydrogel can be tuned by varying the content of aldehyde groups in ASA and the content of amino groups in AG. The gelation time could be controlled within 4-18 min. When the aldehyde content of ASA is 75.24% and the amino content of AG is 0.61 mmol/g, the hydrogel almost has the adhesive strength equal to the commercially available adhesive fibrin glue. So, this tunable ASA/AG hydrogels in this study could be a promising candidate as soft tissue adhesive and have a wide range of biomedical applications.

Application of a bilayer tubular scaffold based on electrospun poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone)/collagen fibers and yarns for tracheal tissue engineering.

A bilayer tubular scaffold (BLTS) consisting of poly(l-lactide-co-caprolactone) (P(LLA-CL))/collagen submicron sized fibers and micron sized yarns, was prepared via electrospinning. Then, autologous tracheal epithelial cells and chondrocytes were separately seeded onto the two layers of the BLTS. After culturing for 7 days, the cell-seeded BLTS (CS-BLTS) was implanted and wrapped in rat tracheal fascia for pre-vascularization. The pre-vascularized BLTS (PV-BLTS) was subjected to an in situ trachea regeneration study using a rat trachea injury model, along with CS-BLTS and bare BLTS for comparison. The results presented the bilayer structure of the BLTS, and the two layers were arranged conterminously. The porosity of the outer layer (collagen/P(LLA-CL) yarns) was found to be significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of the inner layer (collagen/P(LLA-CL) fibers). In vitro biological analysis demonstrated that the collagen/P(LLA-CL) showed good biocompatibility, which promoted tracheal epithelial cell initial adhesion and proliferation with a highly significant difference (P < 0.001) or significant difference (P < 0.05) compared to those of pure P(LLA-CL) materials respectively. Chondrocyte activity and proliferation were also enhanced on collagen/P(LLA-CL) yarns with a significant difference (P < 0.05) compared to those of pure P(LLA-CL). Chondrocyte penetration was promoted as well, due to the loose and porous structure of the electrospun collagen/P(LLA-CL) yarns. The in vivo evaluation results of immune response analysis and histological investigation demonstrated that the PV-BLTS performed better in new capillary regeneration, reducing immunogenicity and improving tracheal tissue regeneration compared to the CS-BLTS and bare BLTS, indicating its promising potential as a new tissue engineered alternative for trachea repair and regeneration.

Laminin-coated nerve guidance conduits based on poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) fibers and yarns for promoting Schwann cells' proliferation and migration.

To develop an effective nerve guidance conduit with cooperative effects of topological structure and biological cues for promoting Schwann cells' (SCs) proliferation and migration, a laminin-coated and yarn-encapsulated poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nerve guidance conduit (LC-YE-PLGA NGC) was fabricated in this study. The PLGA fiber yarns were fabricated through a double-nozzle electrospinning system and then the PLGA fibrous outer layer was collected using a general electrospinning method. Subsequently, laminin was coated on the yarn-encapsulated PLGA NGC through covalent binding. The results showed satisfactory tensile mechanical strength of the laminin-coated PLGA fibers/yarns and good compressive mechanical support of the LC-YE-PLGA NGC. SCs proliferation was significantly superior (p < 0.05) on the PLGA and laminin-coated PLGA yarns than the PLGA fibers. Furthermore, the LC-YE-PLGA NGC performed much better in SCs migration compared with the NGCs without yarn-encapsulation or laminin-coating, indicating the synergistic effect of the three-dimensional yarn structure (topological structure) and the laminin-coating (biological cues) for SCs proliferation and migration. Therefore, the LC-YE-PLGA NGC demonstrated promising potential in promoting SCs proliferation and inducing SCs migration in nerve tissue engineering.

Synthesis of new morpholine-connected pyrazolidine derivatives and their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities.

A simple and convenient one-pot four-component synthesis of morpholine-connected pyrazolidine derivatives 2a-f and 4a-f was developed using direct metal-free catalysis, with the identities of the synthesized compounds confirmed by IR, NMR (1H and 13C), mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. The prepared compounds were inspected for antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities. Antimicrobial and antifungal activities against five bacterial and four fungal pathogens, respectively, were investigated using the disc diffusion technique. In antibacterial activity, compounds 2d and 2f (MIC=2µg/mL) exhibited significantly higher activity than the standard ciprofloxacin. The results of antifungal assay showed that the activity of compound 4a (MIC=0.5µg/mL) was significantly higher than the standard clotrimazole. Antioxidant activity was screened based on ABTS+ radical scavenging and linoleic acid peroxidation performance. Compound 4a showed substantial antioxidant (91.3%) activities, as compared with the Trolox standard. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using HepG2 (liver), HeLa (cervical), and MCF-7 (breast) cancer cell lines, with high toxicities observed for 2b (GI50=12.2µm) and 4a (GI50=07.8µm).

TiO2 nanotube platforms for smart drug delivery: a review.

Titania nanotube (TNT) arrays are recognized as promising materials for localized drug delivery implants because of their excellent properties and facile preparation process. This review highlights the concept of localized drug delivery systems based on TNTs, considering their outstanding biocompatibility in a series of ex vivo and in vivo studies. Considering the safety of TNT implants in the host body, studies of the biocompatibility present significant importance for the clinical application of TNT implants. Toward smart TNT platforms for sustainable drug delivery, several advanced approaches were presented in this review, including controlled release triggered by temperature, light, radiofrequency magnetism, and ultrasonic stimulation. Moreover, TNT implants used in medical therapy have been demonstrated by various examples including dentistry, orthopedic implants, cardiovascular stents, and so on. Finally, a future perspective of TNTs for clinical applications is provided.

A comparison of nanoscale and multiscale PCL/gelatin scaffolds prepared by disc-electrospinning.

Electrospinning is a versatile and convenient technology to generate nanofibers suitable for tissue engineering. However, the low production rate of traditional needle electrospinning hinders its applications. Needleless electrospinning is a potential strategy to promote the application of electrospun nanofiber in various fields. In this study, disc-electrospinning (one kind of needleless electrospinning) was conducted to produce poly(ε-caprolactone)/gelatin (PCL/GT) scaffolds of different structure, namely the nanoscale structure constructed by nanofiber and multiscale structure consisting of nanofiber and microfiber. It was found that, due to the inhomogeneity of PCL/GT solution, disc-electrospun PCL-GT scaffold presented multiscale structure with larger pores than that of the acid assisted one (PCL-GT-A). Scanning electron microscopy images indicated the PCL-GT scaffold was constructed by nanofibers and microfibers. Mouse fibroblasts and rat bone marrow stromal cells both showed higher proliferation rates on multiscale scaffold than nanoscale scaffolds. It was proposed that the nanofibers bridged between the microfibers enhanced cell adhesion and spreading, while the large pores on the three dimensional (3D) PCL-GT scaffold provide more effective space for cells to proliferate and migrate. However, the uniform nanofibers and densely packed structure in PCL-GT-A scaffold limited the cells on the surface. This study demonstrated the potential of disc-electrospun PCL-GT scaffold containing nanofiber and microfiber for 3D tissue regeneration.

Self-Junctioned Copper Nanofiber Transparent Flexible Conducting Film via Electrospinning and Electroplating.

Self-junctioned copper nanofiber transparent flexible films are produced using electrospinning and electroplating processes that provide high performances of T = 97% and Rs = 0.42 Ω sq(-1) by eliminating junction resistance at wire intersections. The film remains conductive after being stretched by up to 770% (films with T = 76%) and after 1000 cycles of bending to a 5 mm radius.

Scalable Binder-Free Supersonic Cold Spraying of Nanotextured Cupric Oxide (CuO) Films as Efficient Photocathodes.

We demonstrate production of nanotextured p-type cupric oxide (CuO) films via a low-cost scalable supersonic cold spray method in open air conditions. Simply sweeping the spray nozzle across a substrate produced a large-scale CuO film. When used as hydrogen evolution photocathodes, these films produced photocurrent densities (PCD) of up to 3.1 mA/cm(2) under AM1.5 illumination, without the use of a cocatalyst or any additional heterojunction layers. Cu2O particles were supersonically sprayed onto an indium tin oxide (ITO) coated soda lime glass (SLG) substrate, without any solvent or binder. Annealing in air converted the Cu2O films to CuO, with a corresponding decrease in the bandgap and increase in the fraction of the solar spectrum absorbed. Annealing at 600 °C maximized the PCD. Increasing the supersonic gas velocity from ∼450 to ∼700 m/s produced denser films with greater surface roughness, in turn producing higher PCD. The nanoscale texture of the films, which resembles the skin of a dinosaur, enhanced their performance, leading to one of the highest PCD values in the literature. We characterized the films by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the origins of their outstanding performance. This supersonic cold spraying deposition has the potential to be used on a commercial scale for low cost mass production.

Fabrication and characterization of vitamin B5 loaded poly (l-lactide-co-caprolactone)/silk fiber aligned electrospun nanofibers for schwann cell proliferation.

Bioengineering strategies for peripheral nerve regeneration have been focusing on the development of alternative treatments for nerve repair. In present study we have blended the Vitamin B5 (50mg) with 8% P(LLA-CL) and P(LLA-CL)/SF solutions and produced aligned electrospun nanofiber mashes and characterized the material for its physiochemical and mechanical characteristics. The vitamin loaded composites nanofibers showed tensile strength of 8.73±1.38 and 8.4±1.37 in P(LLA-CL)/Vt and P(LLA-CL)/SF/Vt nanofibers mashes, respectively. By the addition of vitamin B5 the P(LLA-CL) nanofibers become hydrophilic and the contact angle decreased from 96° to 0° in 6min of duration. The effect of vitamin B5 on Schwann cells proliferation and viability were analyzed by using MTT assay and the number of cells cultured on vitamin loaded nanofiber mashes was significantly higher than the without vitamin loaded nanofiber samples after 5th day (p<0.05) whereas, P (LLA-CL)/SF/Vt exhibit the consistently highest cell numbers after 7th days culture as compare to P (LLA-CL)/Vt. The in vitro vitamin release behavior was observed in PBS solution and released vitamin was calculated by revers phase HPLC method. The sustain release behavior of vitamin B5 were noted higher in P(LLA-CL)/Vt (80%) nanofibers as compared to P (LLA-CL)/SF/Vt (62%) nanofibers after 24h. The present work provided a basis for further studies of this novel aligned nanofibrous material in nerve tissue repair or regeneration.

Superelastic, superabsorbent and 3D nanofiber-assembled scaffold for tissue engineering.

Fabrication of 3D scaffold to mimic the nanofibrous structure of the nature extracellular matrix (ECM) with appropriate mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility, remain an important technical challenge in tissue engineering. The present study reports the strategy to fabricate a 3D nanofibrous scaffold with similar structure to collagen in ECM by combining electrospinning and freeze-drying technique. With the technique reported here, a nanofibrous structure scaffold with hydrophilic and superabsorbent properties can be readily prepared by Gelatin and Polylactic acid (PLA). In wet state the scaffold also shows a super-elastic property, which could bear a compressive strain as high as 80% and recovers its original shape afterwards. Moreover, after 6 days of culture, L-929 cells grow, proliferate and infiltrated into the scaffold. The results suggest that this 3D nanofibrous scaffold would be promising for varied field of tissue engineering application.

Flexible, Freestanding, and Binder-free SnO(x)-ZnO/Carbon Nanofiber Composites for Lithium Ion Battery Anodes.

Here, we demonstrate the production of electrospun SnO(x)-ZnO polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers (NFs) that are flexible, freestanding, and binder-free. This NF fabric is flexible and thus can be readily tailored into a coin for further cell fabrication. These properties allow volume expansion of the oxide materials and provide shortened diffusion pathways for Li ions than those achieved using the nanoparticle approach. Amorphous SnO(x)-ZnO particles were uniformly dispersed in the carbon NF (CNF). The SnO(x)-ZnO CNFs with a Sn:Zn ratio of 3:1 exhibited a superior reversible capacity of 963 mA·h·g(-1) after 55 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g(-1), which is three times higher than the capacity of graphite-based anodes. The amorphous NFs facilitated Li2O decomposition, thereby enhancing the reversible capacity. ZnO prevented the aggregation of Sn, which, in turn, conferred stable and high discharge capacity to the cell. Overall, the SnO(x)-ZnO CNFs were shown to exhibit remarkably high capacity retention and high reversible and rate capacities as Li ion battery anodes.