Preparation and Characterization of Electrospun Nanofiber based on Thermoplastic Urethane elastomer and Gelatin

Electrospun scaffolds based on hydrophobic and biodegradable polymers exhibit good mechanical properties but are not suitable for cell attachment. In contrast, scaffolds with natural polymers show inherent tendency for cell attachment, but they are mechanically brittle. Thus mixed nanostructured scaffolds are expected to be the best candidate. In the present work, attempts have been made to design and fabricate nonwoven mat based on nanofibers with co-electrospun structure comprising thermoplastic urethane elastomer (TPU) and gelatin (Gt) together. For this purpose, electrospun process was employed with two separated needles, but at the same time, and two polymers were processed in the form of solution in appropriate solvents. Effects of processing parameters upon the developed nanofibers and corresponding mat micro morphology were investigated by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM).