PhD Scientific Days 2025

Poster Session I. - I: Theoretical and Translational Medicine

Simulation-assisted Electrostatic Fibre Formation and Cellular Adhesion into the Nanofibre Structure

Name of the presenter

Szilágyi Viktor Gergő

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Semmelweis University, Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Laboratory of Nanochemistry

Authors

Viktor Gergő Szilágyi¹

1: Semmelweis University, Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Laboratory of Nanochemistry

Text of the abstract

Electrostatic fibre formation is a widely investigated and used non-mechanical technology that can be used to produce nano and microfibres. These fibre structures have wide applicability in medicine, pharmaceutical and in engineering. For medical purposes these structures are widely researched because they mimic the extracellular matrix thus making them an excellent candidate to be used in tissue engineering applications. Outside of the applications in tissue engineering these fibre matrices are also excellent drug delivery systems because of the known dissolution rate therefore the dissolution rate of their delivered pharmacological substance. In medicinal applications they also excellent candidates for antibacterial wound dressing where they deliver metal nanoparticles, antibiotics, or other antimicrobial materials.
The nanofibre matrices also have applications outside of medicine, especially in filtration systems, new generational energy storage devices and in different biosensor systems.
The applications of the fibre structures are dependent on different physical and chemical properties, the chemical applications are dependent on the material conditions especially the solvent and the polymer that is used for the electrospinning. The physical properties are dependent on the machine and on the ambient parameters during the electrospinning. The focus of my presentation will be the mash modelling of the electric field during the electrospinning and the effect of the added CaCl2 on the created polymer fibre matrix.
The electric field modelling can give us a better understanding of the whole electrospinning process especially of polymer deposition on the different collector geometries. These simulations can also lead to create better collector or needle geometries that can help to further optimise the polymer fibre formation.
The physical and chemical parameters of the fibre structure also depend on the chemical components of the electrospinning solution. During my research I investigated the effect of different CaCl2 concentrations in the Polysuccinimide polymer solution. The ionic salt content can affect the diameter of the fibre strands and can influence the cytotoxicity of the fibre structure.

This research was supported by NKFIH FK 137749, ÚNKP-21-3-II-SE-56, TKP2021-EGA-23.