Recent advances in electrospun poly(Ε-caprolactone)-based materials and their biomedical applications

Fiber-based materials have been used in a wide range of applications, from textiles to biofunctional scaffolds, and research on these materials continues to yield new and exciting results. In the past decades, electrospinning has been shown to be a particularly versatile and adaptable method of fiber formation. A great number of variables in the electrospinning process can be finely tuned to alter the resultant properties of the electrospun materials. Among all published research on electrospinning, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-based electrospun fibers have been most intensively studied due to the low cost, good processability, great biocompatibility, and biodegradability of PCL. This chapter highlights the current advances in electrospun PCL-based materials by categorizing these materials into following six groups: (1) PCL-natural biopolymer-based material, (2) PCL blended with other biodegradable synthetic polymers, (3) PCL blended with other synthetic polymers, (4) PCL fibers functionalization utilizing bioactive molecules, (5) PCL-based composites with inorganics or other nanofillers, and (6) PCL fiber with post-electrospinning decoration. We also summarize the fabrication techniques, experimental parameters, as well as the structure, morphology, and physicochemical properties of these fiber products. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of fabricating various PCL-based electrospun materials and their potential applications as biodegradable and biocompatible materials, such as biomedical implants, tissue scaffolds, drug carriers, gene delivery vehicles.