Polymer-based nanocomposites such as polycaprolactone/graphene oxide (PCL/GO) have emerged as alternatives for bone tissue engineering (BTE) applications. The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of a gelatin (Gt) coating on the degradability and different properties of PCL nanofibrous scaffolds fabricated by an electrospinning technique with 1 and 2 wt% GO. Uniform PCL/GO fibers were obtained with a beadless structure and rough surface. PCL/GO scaffolds exhibited an increase in their crystallization temperature (Tc), attributed to GO, which acted as a nucleation agent. Young’s modulus increased by 32 and 63% for the incorporation of 1 and 2 wt% GO, respectively, in comparison with neat PCL. A homogeneous Gt coating was further applied to these fibers, with incorporations as high as 24.7 wt%. The introduction of the Gt coating improved the hydrophilicity and degradability of the scaffolds. Bioactivity analysis revealed that the hydroxyapatite crystals were deposited on the Gt-coated scaffolds, which made them different from their uncoated counterparts. Our results showed the synergic effect of Gt and GO in enhancing the multifunctionality of the PCL, in particular the degradability rate, bioactivity, and cell adhesion and proliferation of hGMSC cells, making it an interesting biomaterial for BTE.

A wide variety of materials, strategies, and methods have been proposed to face the challenge of wastewater pollution. The most innovative and promising approaches include the hybrid materials made of polymeric nanofibers and photocatalytic nanoparticles. Electrospun nanofibers with unique properties, such as nanosized diameter, large specific surface area, and high aspect ratio, represent promising materials to support and stabilize photocatalytic nanosized semiconductors. Additionally, the role performed by polymer nanofibers can be extended even further since they can act as an active medium for the in situ synthesis of photocatalytic metal nanoparticles or contribute to pollutant adsorption, facilitating their approach to the photocatalytic sites and their subsequent photodegradation. In this paper, we review the state of the art of electrospun polymer/semiconductor hybrid nanofibers possessing photocatalytic activity and used for the remediation of polluted water by light-driven processes (i.e., based on photocatalytic activity). The crucial role of polymer nanofibers and their versatility in these types of procedures are emphasized.

The search to deliver added value to industrialized biobased materials, such as cellulose derivatives, is a relevant aspect in the scientific, technological and innovation fields at present. To address these aspects, films of cellulose acetate (CA) and a perylene derivative (Pr) were fabricated using a solution-casting method with two different compositions. Consequently, these samples were exposed to dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent vapors so that its influence on the optical, wettability, and topographical properties of the films could be examined. The results demonstrated that solvent vapor could induce the apparent total or partial preferential orientation/migration of Pr toward the polymer–air interface. In addition, photocatalytic activities of the non-exposed and DMF vapor-exposed films against the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous medium using light-emitting diode visible light irradiation were comparatively investigated. Apparently, the observed improvement in the performance of these materials in the MB photodegradation process is closely linked to the treatment with solvent vapor. Results from this study have allowed us to propose the fabrication and use of the improved photoactivity “all-organic” materials for potential applications in dye photodegradation in aqueous media.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is widely used in microfluidics; however, its long-term natural aging under routine storage conditions remains insufficiently characterized. In this work, PDMS was classified according to curing age, defined as the exact elapsed time between fabrication and testing, and compared across two macro-groups: young PDMS (3000 days). The specimens were evaluated by uniaxial compression, hyperelastic constitutive fitting, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Aged specimens showed a clear increase in stiffness, with the average small-strain modulus rising from 1.30~MPa in young samples to 2.43~MPa in aged samples, whereas Poisson's ratio remained close to the incompressible limit in both groups. Best-fit phenomenological hyperelastic models, including Neo-Hookean, Mooney--Rivlin 2P, Mooney--Rivlin 5P, Ogden 1P, Demiray, Yeoh 2P, and Yeoh 3P formulations, were evaluated using both R^2 and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE). FT-IR spectra retained the characteristic PDMS bands, indicating preservation of the main siloxane and methyl-related motifs after storage. In contrast, TGA revealed differences in degradation onset, maximum degradation temperature, and residual mass. These results indicate that curing age is an experimentally relevant material-state variable: naturally aged PDMS remains chemically identifiable as the same base material but becomes mechanically and thermally distinct over timescales exceeding 3000 days.

Multifunctional polymer scaffolds with mechanical support, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity are key for next-generation biomedical materials. We report the fabrication of electrospun nanocomposite fibers made from polycaprolactone (PCL), starch, and mesoporous aluminum oxide nanoparticles (n-Al₂O₃). Nanoparticles (11 ± 4 nm) were synthesized via a sol-gel method, predominantly comprising γ- and α-Al₂O₃ phases. Four fiber systems were fabricated by side-by-side electrospinning: PCL, PCL/starch, PCL/n-Al₂O₃, and PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃. SEM analysis confirmed uniform and bead-free fibers in all formulations. Tensile tests showed that the incorporation of starch and nanoparticles improved the mechanical performance compared with neat PCL. In particular, PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ fibers exhibited increases of 404% in Young’s modulus and 102% in elongation at break. In PBS, starch and n-Al₂O₃ enhanced hydrophilicity and accelerated weight loss, with PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ showing the highest mass loss. Antibacterial tests indicated that only fibers with nanoparticles could inhibit Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ showing a major effect. Although n-Al₂O₃ increased cytotoxicity toward NIH-3T3, starch mitigated this effect, and the ternary scaffold showed no detectable cytotoxicity. Moreover, PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ exhibited non-hemolytic behavior, enhanced fibroblast migration, and wound-healing-related protein expression. Overall, side-by-side electrospun PCL/starch/n-Al₂O₃ scaffold exhibited showed improved mechanical, biological, and antibacterial properties, supporting its potential as a wound-dressing material.

In this study, three formulations (F1, F2, and F3) were developed to fabricate hybrid scaffolds composed of chitosan (CS), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), doped with curcumin (CUR) and silicon dioxide nanoparticles (NPs-SiO₂). Structural analysis of the scaffolds was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This analysis demonstrated that incorporating bioactive molecules, such as curcumin (CUR) and silicon dioxide nanoparticles (NPs-SiO₂), modified intermolecular interactions within the prepared scaffolds, thereby favoring the formation of more stable amorphous structures. This effect was most evident in scaffold formulation 3, which exhibited a more porous architecture with a uniform distribution of NPs-SiO₂. Furthermore, mechanical evaluation of the formulations revealed that F2 exhibited the highest elastic modulus (0.773 ± 0.177 MPa) and compressive strength (1.015 ± 0.012 MPa), while F3 showed a more balanced combination of flexibility, structural stability, and displacement capacity. All formulations achieved complete inhibition of the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains evaluated under the same test conditions. In vitro studies demonstrated that F3 maintained cell viability above 80% in normal BHK-21 fibroblasts while exhibiting enhanced cytotoxicity toward HEp-2 tumor cells (IC₅₀ = 373.6 µg/mL). Additionally, subdermal implantation revealed the presence of trabeculae-like structures, osteocyte-like lacunae, and osteoblastic-like cells in F3, suggesting the initiation of osteogenic-type tissue organization. These findings identify F3 as the formulation with the most favorable balance of structural, mechanical, antimicrobial, and biological properties, supporting its potential application as a multifunctional scaffold for tissue regeneration.