Solution Blow Spinning of Polycaprolactone—Rheological Determination of Spinnability and the Effect of Processing Conditions on Fiber Diameter and Alignment

The growing popularity of solution blow spinning as a method for the production of fibrous tissue engineering scaffolds and the vast range of polymer–solvent systems available for the method raises the need to study the effect of processing conditions on fiber morphology and develop a method for its qualitative assessment. Rheological approaches to determine polymer solution spinnability and image analysis approaches to describe fiber diameter and alignment have been previously proposed, although in a separate manner and mostly for the widely known, well-researched electrospinning method. In this study, a series of methods is presented to determine the processing conditions for the development of submicron fibrous scaffolds. Rheological methods are completed with extensive image analysis to determine the spinnability window for a polymer–solvent system and qualitatively establish the influence of polymer solution concentration and collector rotational speed on fiber morphology, diameter, and alignment. Process parameter selection for a tissue engineering scaffold target application is discussed, considering the varying structural properties of the native extracellular matrix of the tissue of interest.

The solution-gel phase transition in aqueous solutions of agarose

Thermal hysteresis and stability of agarose–water gelling systems were studied by the spectrophotometer for different concentrations at different temperatures. Gelation temperature depends on the concentration of agarose. With the increase in the concentration of agarose gelation temperature, strength of agarose increases too. With the increase in the concentration of polymer solvent–gel phase transition, gel melting happens at higher temperatures. The price of enthalpy was determined (150.0127 KC/mol). In gelation process, the phase separation is completed and in this process, the value of this [Formula: see text] equally increases.

Substrate-independent three-dimensional polymer nanosheets induced by solution casting

Unprecedented substrate-independent polymeric 3D nanosheets were induced via simple solution casting using PEGBEM–POEM comb copolymer. A possible mechanism is the change in the polymer–solvent interactions on the surface.

Detection and Evaluation of Polymer-Polymer Interactions in Dilute Solutions of Associating Polymers

An experimental tool for the evaluation of intramolecular associative/hydrophobic interactions in polymer/solvent systems was proposed and tested. The method is based on measurements of viscous flow in dilute polymer solutions...

Mobility of bound water in PNIPAM microgels

Polymer-solvent interactions play a crucial role in the stimuli-responsive behaviour of polymer networks. They infuence the swelling/deswelling behaviour as well as the dynamics of the polymer chains. Scattering experiments provide...