Phase Behavior and Electrospinning of Block Copolypeptide Blends

Currently, no single-step method exists to functionalize the surface of nanofibers. Therefore, this project explores the possibility by which to achieve one-step surface modification through electrospinning. Electrospinning is a process wherein fibers ranging in size from tens of nanometers to tens of microns are generated by using an electric field to spin a polymer solution or melt. The resultant ultrathin fibers produced in this fashion are ideally suited for various and diverse applications due to their large ratio of surface area to volume. Potential biomedical applications, in particular, include tissue scaffolds and wound dressings. The objective of this research is to fabricate surface-biofunctionalized nanofibers composed of several different polymers (e.g., polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA) via addition of novel bio-organic block co-oligopeptides synthesized by collaborators at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Germany. The effects of added co-oligopeptide on fiber morphology and chemistry are deduced by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Current objectives of this research project include identification of additional compatible polymers for use as the fiber-forming polymer and determination of optimal electrospinning parameters and solution characteristics. The results to be presented examine the electrospinning of PMMA and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), both of which are compatible with the poly(ethylene oxide) block of the co-oligopeptide.