Surface Modification of Electrospun Poly(L-lactide)/Poly(ε-caprolactone)Fibrous Membranes by Plasma Treatment and Gelatin Immobilization

Biopolymer fibers have great potential for technical applications in biomaterials.The surface properties of fibers are of importance in these applications.In this study,electrospun poly(L-lactide)(PLLA)/poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL)membranes were modified by cold plasma treatment and coating gelatin to improve the surface hydrophilic properties.The morphologies of the fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Atomic force microscopy(AFM)was employed to show the surface characteristics of the fibers.The chemical feature of the fibrous membrane surfaces was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The surface wettability of the fibrous membrane was also characterized by water contact angle measurements.All these results show that plasma treatment can have profound effects on the surface properties of fibrous membranes by changing their surface physical and chemical features.Gelatin-PLLA/PCL membrane has great potential in applications of tissue engineering scaffolds.