The effect of the electrospinning setup on the surface energy of polycaprolactone nanofibre layers

The study addresses changes in the surface energy of polycaprolactone nanofibre layers due to the different spinning electrodes. The value of surface energy and the associated wettability is an important aspect of polymeric biomaterials that influence the quality of interaction with biological material. The study involved the production of nanofibre layers by means of both needle and needleless electrospinning. The surface energy of the produced layers was determined via the contact angle measurement method. The experiment revealed that the spinning electrode exerts a significant effect on the resulting surface energy and, thus, on the wetting of the nanofibre layers. It was discovered during the measurement process, that the fibre layers produced via the needle electrospinning method evinced a low surface energy and are non-wettable/hydrophobic. In contrast, needleless electrospinning fibre layers evince a high surface energy and are wettable/hydrophilic.