Fabrication and customization of highly porous PLGA membranes utilizing near-field electrospinning, thermal transitions, and multilayer strategies

Abstract

Polymer porous membranes play a crucial role in various applications, including water filtration, tissue engineering, and drug administration. Conventional electrospinning is employed for the production of polymeric membranes because of its cost-effectiveness, scalability, and the flexibility. However, it has limitations in terms of controlling the form and size of the pores. Ensuring the ability to maintain a consistent and customizable pore size without sacrificing the thickness of the membrane becomes more crucial to satisfy the various requirements of cell and tissue engineering applications.  To address these limitations, this work combines Near-Field Electrospinning with thermal treatment of polymer fibers and membranes by exploring the connection between polymer behavior, thermal effects, and capillary action by measuring the fluctuations in pore area under different temperatures and fiber spacings. Furthermore, the study investigated the influence of multilayer infusion on pore size and geometric arrangement by investigating multiple-layer configurations stacked at different angles. The results indicated that increasing layers leads to decreasing pore size, while the alignment of infused fibers adds to differences in pore form. By enabling enhanced control over membrane characteristics, the proposed approach can enhance the performance and consistency of polymer porous membranes in a wide range of applications.