Dirk W. Schubert Author

Research Article Open Access

Mechanical and Optical Properties of PCL Nanofiber Reinforced Alginate Hydrogels for Application in Corneal Wound Healing

Author(s):

Dirk W. Schubert

Treatment of corneal wounds in ophthalmology often involves the application of biological membranes, especially human amniotic membranes. As result of the biological background optical and mechanical properties can be inconsistent. Additionally, there is a huge need for serological screening to avoid transmission of diseases from donors. To replace the amniotic membrane we prepared nanofiber hydrogel compounds and evaluated their application-relevant properties. Nanofibers were prepared of polycaprolactone (PCL) and a blend with chitosan (CHI) by electrospinning. Nanofiber webs were produced either random, without specific orientation, or as multilayer webs of aligned fibers, where adjacent layers have a perpendicular fiber orientation to each other (aligned... view more»

Abstract HTML PDF