Biologically Active Polycaprolactone/Titanium Hybrid Electrospun Nanofibers for Hard Tissue Engineering

In this study, a novel strategy to improve the bioactivity of polycaprolactone nanofibers is proposed. Incorporation of pure titanium nanoparticles into polycaprolactone nanofibers strongly enhances the precipitation of bone-like apatite materials when the doped nanofibers are soaked in a simulated body fluid. The introduced nanofibers have been prepared by electrospinning of a colloid composed of a polycaprolactone solution and titanium nanopowder. A mixed solvent composed of N,N dimethyl formammide and methyl chloride has been utilized to dissolve the polycaprolactone. The physiochemical characterizations have affirmed the embedding of the titanium nanoparticles in the polycaprolactone nanofibers. Moreover the results have revealed that the bioactivity of the polycaprolactone is directly proportional to the content of the titanium nanoparticles. Overall, the high porosity of the electrospun nanofiber mats and the successful incorporation of the titanium nanoparticles make the prepared polycaprolactone nanofiber mat a proper candidate for the hard-tissue engineering applications.