Solvent Retention in Electrospun Fibers Affects Scaffold Mechanical Properties
Open accessAbstract
Electrospinning is a robust material fabrication method allowing for fine control of mechanical, chemical, and functional properties in scaffold manufacturing. Electrospun fiber scaffolds have gained prominence for their potential in a variety of applications such as tissue engineering and textile manufacturing, yet none have assessed the impact of solvent retention in fibers on the scaffold’s mechanical properties. In this study, we hypothesized that retained electrospinning solvent acts as a plasticizer, and gradual solvent evaporation, by storing fibers in ambient air, will cause significant increases in electrospun fiber scaffold brittleness and stiffness, and a significant decrease in scaffold toughness. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated solvent retention in PGA, PLCL, and PET fibers, and not in PU and PCL fibers. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that polymers that were electrospun below their glass transition temperature (Tg) retained solvent and polymers electrospun above Tg did not. Young’s moduli increased and yield strain decreased for solventretaining PGA, PLCL, and PET fiber scaffolds as solvent evaporated from the scaffolds over a period of 14 days. Toughness and failure strain decreased for PGA and PET scaffolds as solvent evaporated. No significant differences were observed in the mechanical properties of PU and PCL scaffolds that did not retain solvent. These observations highlight the need to consider solvent retention following electrospinning and its potential effects on scaffold mechanical properties.
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PLCL tensile strength is typically between 20 and 60 MPa, depending on its molecular weight and proportion.
“Typically, the tensile strength is between 20 and 60 MPa, depending on its molecular weight and proportion.”
From Application of PLCL as a biodegradable polymer in biomedical engineering (2026) · cites this paper as [52]
The Results (Fiber Scaffold Mechanical Testing; page unavailable) report PLCL peak stresses of 36.2 ± 6.9 MPa immediately after electrospinning and 56.0 ± 12.4 MPa after 14 days, broadly consistent with the claimed range. They attribute the change to time after electrospinning as retained solvent leaves the fibers, not to variation in PLCL molecular weight or proportion; the two measurements also do not establish a typical range. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPLCL tensile strength is closely related to the ratio of L-lactic acid to caprolactone, and higher L-lactide contents enable PLCL to exhibit higher tensile strength.
“In PLCL, the tensile strength is closely related to the ratio of L-lactic acid to caprolactone. The rigid structure of L-lactide monomers enables PLCL to exhibit higher tensile strength at higher L-lactide contents [52, 53].”
From Application of PLCL as a biodegradable polymer in biomedical engineering (2026) · cites this paper as [52]
The Experimental Procedures describe electrospinning PLCL but give no lactide-to-caprolactone ratios. The Results report a change in PLCL peak stress over time, not across compositions. Searches for composition ratios and higher L-lactide content found no passage addressing the claimed relationship or its proposed explanation. (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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Application of PLCL as a biodegradable polymer in biomedical engineering
Zhao, Y., & Liu, H. (2026) · Journal of Materials Science Materials in Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10856-026-07016-3 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
- Authors
- D’Amato, A. R., Bramson, M. T. K., Corr, D. T., Puhl, D. L., Gilbert, R. J., & Johnson, J.
- Affiliations
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- D’Amato, Anthony R.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Electrospinning
- Publisher
- Portico
- Published
- 2018-09-01
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 15-28
- ISSN
- 2391-7407 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6482971
- OpenAlex
- W2897854326
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 0.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Electrospinning (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (1105125)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH-R01, R01‐grant, NS092754)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS092754)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Silk-based biomaterials and applications
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Bone Tissue Engineering Materials
- Keywords
- solvent retention, plasticizer effect, solvent evaporation, scaffold mechanical properties, brittleness, stiffness, toughness, glass transition temperature, polycaprolactone, polyglycolic acid, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, tissue engineering scaffolds
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