J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2023, Vol. 162: 157-178.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2023.04.015

• Review Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Electrospun nanofiber/hydrogel composite materials and their tissue engineering applications

Miaomiao Zhang1, Shixin Xu1, Ruoying Wang, Yongan Che, Cuicui Han, Wei Feng, Chengwei Wang, Wen Zhao*   

  1. Key Laboratory for Space Biosciences and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
  • Received:2023-04-06 Revised:2023-04-25 Accepted:2023-04-26 Published:2023-11-01 Online:2023-05-19
  • Contact: *E-mail address: wenzhao@nwpu.edu.cn (W. Zhao).
  • About author:1These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Electrospun nanofiber/hydrogel composites combine the excellent biochemical properties of hydrogel with the biomimetic nature of electrospun fibers, and have attracted widespread attention in the last few years. Besides, nanofiber/hydrogel composites with tunable mechanical properties can mimic the microstructure of extracellular matrix (ECM) of various tissues and the microenvironment of different cells. These features enable electrospun fiber/hydrogel composites have uniquely advantageous for tissue repair. However, a comprehensive review of electrospun fiber/hydrogel composites as tissue engineering scaffolds is still lacking. Thus, this article systematically reviewed the preparation of electrospun fiber/hydrogel composites and their application in tissue engineering. First, the preparation strategies of electrospun fiber/hydrogel composites are classified and discussed. Second, the application of electrospun fiber/hydrogel-based scaffolds in tissue engineering, involving skin, blood vessel, nerve, bone and other tissue engineering, are summarized. Finally, future research directions for functional electrospun fiber/hydrogel scaffold materials are proposed.

Key words: Electrospinning, Hydrogel, Composites, Scaffold, Tissue engineering