The present invention relates to thin filters comprising melt electro spinning writing (MEW) fibers for capturing and culturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The invention further relates to processes for producing the filters, methods for capturing and culturing CTCs using the filters, kits and devices comprising the filters and uses of the filters.

The present invention provides an anisotropic, thermal conductive, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding composite including a plurality of aligned polymer nanofibers to form a polymer mat or scaffold having a first and second planes of orientation of the polymer nanofibers. The first plane of orientation of the polymer nanofibers has a thermal conductivity substantially the same as or similar to that of the second plane, and the thermal conductivity of the first or second plane of orientation of the polymer nanofibers is at least 2-fold of that of a third plane of orientation of the polymer nanofibers which is about 90 degrees out of the first and second planes of orientation of the polymer nanofibers, respectively, while the electrical resistance of each of the first and second planes is at least 3 orders lower than that of the third plane. A method for preparing the present composite is also provided.

A fiber can be made having a structure with an axial core and a coating layer. The fiber can have a polymer core and one or two layers surrounding the core. The fine fiber can be made from a polymer material and a resinous aldehyde composition such that the general structure of the fiber has a polymer core surrounded by at least a layer of the resinous aldehyde composition.

The invention concerns a composition to be electrospun, which comprises a first compound to be electrospun and an electrospinning promoter, the function of which is to facilitate the electrospinning of the first compound, in particular to establish the electrospinning method in order to obtain regular fibers. A method to prepare the composition is also described, which provides a step of mixing a first compound to be electrospun with an electrospinning promoter.

The invention concerns a method to electrospin a composition to be electrospun, which comprises a compound to be electrospun and an electrospinning promoter. The method provides the steps of providing an electrospinning device comprising an electrospinning head and a collector; applying an electric field between the electrospinning head and the collector; and feeding the composition to be electrospun through the electrospinning head.

The electrospinning method comprises the steps of providing a composition to be electrospun; providing an electrospinning device comprising an electrospinning head and a collector; applying an electric field between the electrospinning head and the collector; and feeding the composition to be electrospun through the electrospinning head, so that the electric field applied induces the formation of an electrospun fiber.

An electrospun nanofiber membrane and a method for preparing the electrospun nanofiber membrane are provided to solve problems of poor mechanical properties, short service life, poor uniformity and consistency of orientation of fibers and poor stability of fiber networks in current electrospun composite nanofiber materials. The electrospun nanofiber membrane is prepared by spinning solution through a high-voltage electrospinning device. The spinning solution is blending solution of regenerated silk fibroin: polyvinyl alcohol: polylactic acid with a mass ratio being 75-85:10-20:5 dissolved in a mixed solvent of trifluoroacetic acid and dichloromethane with a volume ratio being 7:3. The method establishes a reasonable mass ratio parameter of the regenerated silk fibroin, the polyvinyl alcohol and the polylactic acid to blending spinning to improve spinnability of silk fibroin, as well as prepare the electrospun composite nanofiber membrane with good mechanical properties.

A method for producing a sheet having nanofibers that contain a piezoelectric polymer material. The method including dissolving a piezoelectric polymer material into a solvent so as to prepare a spinning solution; preheating a target board before nanofibers are formed by electrospinning the spinning solution; and, after the heating of the target board, receiving the nanofibers formed by electrospinning onto the heated target board so as to form the nanofibers into a sheet on the heated target board.

Applications of electrospinning (ES) range from fabrication of biomedical devices and tissue regeneration scaffolds to light manipulation and energy conversion, and even to deposition of materials that act as growth platforms for nanoscale catalysis. One major limitation to wide adoption of electrospun materials is the ES hardware itself, which typically requires high voltage, electric isolation, and charged and flat deposition surfaces. In the past, fabrication of structures or materials with precisely determined mesoscale morphology has been accomplished through modification of electrode shape, use of multi-dimensional electrodes or pins, deposition onto weaving looms, hand held electrospinners that allow the user to guide deposition, or electric field manipulation by lensing elements or apertures. In this work, we demonstrate an ES system that contains multiple high voltage power supplies that are independently controlled. This system produces a novel electrostatic field that enables deposition of polymers in precise, mesoscale structures.

A three-dimensional electrospun biomedical patch includes a first polymeric scaffold having a first structure of deposited electrospun fibers extending in a plurality of directions in three dimensions to facilitate cellular migration for a first period of time upon application of the biomedical patch to a tissue, wherein the first period of time is less than twelve months, and a second polymeric scaffold having a second structure of deposited electrospun fibers. The second structure of deposited electrospun fibers includes the plurality of deposited electrospun fibers configured to provide structural reinforcement for a second period of time upon application of the three-dimensional electrospun biomedical patch to the tissue wherein the second period of time is less than twelve months. The three-dimensional electrospun biomedical patch is sufficiently pliable and resistant to tearing to enable movement of the three-dimensional electrospun biomedical patch with the tissue.