Polycaprolactone/Gelatin/Polypyrrole/Graphene Conductive Aligned Fibrous Scaffold with Ferulic Acid Encapsulation for Tissue Engineering Applications

Tissue engineering approaches aim to overcome the limitations of organ transplants and facilitate tissue repair and regeneration, with demand now at a worldwide high for advanced therapies due to our global aging population. Neural tissue engineering is challenging with tissue dynamics and cellular complexity constraints necessary for tissue function. Here, a conductive, highly aligned, fibrous polycaprolactone/gelatin/polypyrrole/graphene scaffold is demonstrated for potential nerve tissue repair. A simple and efficient electrospinning technique with a rotating drum fabrication approach is utilized to create aligned fibrous structures with a diameter of 380 ± 37 nm (no graphene) to 265 ± 30 nm (up to 3 wt