Evaluation of physical and mechanical properties of electrospinning nanocomposite scaffolds poly ɛ-caprolactone-gelatin/multi walled carbon nanotube

The poly (ɛ-caprolactone)/gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds with weight ratio of 70:30 and PCL/gelatin 70:30 nanocomposite scaffold containing 0.5%wt. MWNTs (PCL-gelatin/0.5%wt.MWNT) were fabricated through electrospinning. The morphology, physical and mechanical property of the scaffolds was evaluated through SEM, FTIR-ATR, water contact angle and tensile strength test. The scaffold containing 0.5%wt. MWNTs had the best average and distribution of fibers diameter in comparison with PCL/gelatin scaffold due to the increased conductivity of the solution and the alignment of the MWNTs in the nanofibers. The presence of MWNTs did not have any reverse effect on the porosity of the scaffolds and the porosity percentage of the scaffolds was more than 80%. According to FTIR spectra there was a connection between gelatin amine group and MWNTs carboxylic group that could affect the mechanical properties directly. Adding 0.5%wt. MWNTs to the PCL/gelatin scaffold decreased contact angle and lead to an increase in mean tensile strength about 7 times in comparison with scaffold without MWNTs. The enhancement of the mechanical properties of the scaffold can be seen due to the inherent strength of MWNTs, the position of the MWNTs in the polymer nanofibers and the optimal dispersion in the polymer matrix. PCL-gelatin/0.5%wt.MWNT scaffold can be an appropriate scaffold for tissue engineering applications.