Fabrication of microgrooved scaffolds using near-field electrospinning-assisted lithography (NFEAL)

A simple patterning process combining near-field electrospinning (NFE) and template lithography, called near-field electrospinning-assisted lithography (NFEAL), was developed to prepare polymeric scaffolds with microgroove patterns for potential use in biomedical applications. NFE enabled the deposition of poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) fibers at a desired position. The diameters of the deposited PEO fibers could be controlled over a range of 0.5–20 μm by adjusting the NFE parameters such as voltage, distance, feed rate, and translation speed. The preparation of PEO fibers with 1 and 3 μm diameters using NFE, followed by the deposition of polystyrene (PS) and removal of the fiber template, created free-standing PS scaffolds with microgroove patterns. The width of the microgroove was similar to the diameter of the PEO fibers. The depth of the microgroove was also dependent on the dimensions of the PEO fibers; microgrooves of depth 64.49 ± 11.5 nm and 216.68 ± 62.9 nm were fabricated from PEO fibers of diameters 1 and 3 μm, respectively. When C2C12 cells were cultured on the microgrooved scaffolds, they showed enhanced elongation or alignment along the microgrooved scaffolds, especially, for the microgroove (1 μm) with a smaller width.