(531d) Particle Electrospinning of High Loading Fiber-Microparticle Composites

Electrospinning is a valuable production method for nanoscale polymeric fibers. Increasingly popular for tissue engineering applications, it has also found use as a method for production of pharmaceutical solid dosage forms and biofiltration applications. A major limitation of the technology is the requirement for high molecular weight polymers as a major part of the matrix. Many applications would benefit from flexibility in the materials for electrospinning, for example including drug crystals for oral dosages, including magnetic or electronic particles for wearable devices and diagnostics, and formation of structured fibers by inclusion of particles larger than the fiber size. To realize these more advanced functional composites, a strong understanding of how inclusion affects the electrospinning process and mat properties is essential. In this work, we examine materials systems containing polymers and particles with varying surface properties, focusing on how inclusion of particles and molecular interactions between particles and polymers affects the morphology of the fiber and electrospinning processing window.