Porous Polycaprolactone Fibers Made by Centrifugal Spinning

This paper presents technology for production of polymer fibers. The technology, named centrifugal spinning, Forcespinning (TM), or rotary jet spinning, facilitates formation of fibers by only centrifugal forces. Fibers arise due to highspeed rotation of spinneret unit and should be modified according to specified process or material parameters. With a specific solvents mixture, it was possible to make polymer fibers with porous surface. As a basic material applicable to tissue engineering, polycaprolactone, which is a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer was chosen. Further, pairs of its solvents and nonsolvents were chosen, which facilitated production of smooth and porous fibers. Fibers were made by needle and needleless way of centrifugal spinning. The effects of all these variable parameters on the resulting fibers were studied and compared.