Highly aligned and geometrically structured poly(glycerol sebacate)-polyethylene oxide composite fiber matrices towards bioscaffolding applications.

The biocompatible and biodegradable polymer poly(glycerol sebacate), or PGS, is a rubber-like material that finds use in several biomedical applications. PGS is often cast into a mold to form desired structures; alternatively, blending PGS with other reinforcing polymers produces viscous solutions that can be spun into non-woven fibrous scaffolds. For tissue scaffolding applications, ordered fibrous matrices are advantageous and have been shown to promote cell orientation and proliferation by contact guidance, providing topographical cues for the seeded cells. The development of techniques for easily producing aligned fibrous matrices is therefore a priority. PGS nanofibers have been fabricated successfully using electrospinning techniques. For producing PGS microfibers, we introduce the electro-less STRAND (Substrate Translation and Rotation for Aligned Nanofiber Deposition) process as an alternative to electrospinning. STRAND provides superior control of fiber properties including diameter, alignment, spacing, and therefore deposition density by mechanically drawing polymer fibers from solution. The goal in using this method is the simple production of aligned PGS fiber matrices for retinal tissue scaffolding.