A method for producing a continuous filament from electrospun fibers includes providing a conducting collection surface that is an elongate three-dimensional surface. An attractive electric field gradient is formed between the collection surface and a source of electrically charged fibers. The collection surface is moved in a longitudinal direction relative to the source of electrically charged fibers. The fibers are collected on the collection surface so as to form a continuous filament.

A three-dimensional electrospun nanofiber scaffold for use in repairing a defect in a tissue substrate is provided. The three-dimensional electrospun nanofiber scaffold includes a first layer formed by a first plurality of electrospun polymeric fibers and a second layer formed by a second plurality of electrospun polymeric fibers. The second layer is coupled to the first layer using a coupling process and includes a plurality of varying densities formed by the second plurality of electrospun polymeric fibers. The first and second layers are configured to degrade via hydrolysis after at least one of a predetermined time or an environmental condition. The three-dimensional electrospun nanofiber scaffold is configured to be applied to the tissue substrate containing the defect.

In a method of electrospinning nanofibres, a non-conductive laminate fibre collection structure (22) is placed on the surface of a conductive collector (18, FIG. 1). The laminate structure has a base layer (26) proximal to the collector and a fibre support layer (24). A pair of spaced first apertures (32) and a second aperture (34) located between them are defined through the fibre support layer (24). A pair of spaced third apertures (38) are defined through the base layer (26), each third aperture being aligned with one of the first apertures to define an opening (40) through the laminate structure. During electro spinning, the fibre is attracted to one of the openings (40) where it forms a bridge across the respective first aperture (32). A charge in the collected fibre builds up until the fibre is repelled and it moves to the nearest lowest potential region which is the second opening on the opposite side of the second aperture (34). The nanofibre takes shortest path from the first opening towards the second opening and so creates a fibre which extends across the second aperture (34). The process is repeated to build up an array of aligned nanofibres extending across the second aperture.

A continuous wire drive system for a needleless electrospinning apparatus, the electrospinning apparatus including an electrospinning enclosure and within which a nanoscale or submicron scale polymer fiber web is formed onto a substrate from a liquid polymer layer coated onto a plurality of continuous electrode wires passing through the electrospinning enclosure. The continuous wire drive system includes a master wire drive drum and a slave wire drive drum, each of the master wire drive drum and slave wire drive drum including a plurality of wire guides, each of the wire guides including a channel or groove for receiving one of the plurality of continuous electrode wires. The continuous wire drive system is external to the electrospinning apparatus, and the continuous wire drive system drives the plurality of continuous electrode wires through the electrospinning enclosure.

A fiber manufacturing apparatus includes: a fiber manufacturing portion including a first operation unit including a first operation surface and a second operation unit including a second operation surface facing the first operation surface, wherein at least one of the first operation unit and the second operation unit performs a reciprocating motion to manufacture a fiber between the first operation surface and the second operation surface; and a fiber collecting portion configured to collect the fiber manufactured between the first operation surface and the second operation surface, wherein at least one of the first operation surface and the second operation surface includes a polymer solution.

A method for controlling fiber cross-alignment in a nanofiber membrane, comprising: providing a multiple segment collector in an electrospinning device including a first and second segment electrically isolated from an intermediate segment positioned between the first and second segment, collectively presenting a cylindrical structure, rotating the cylindrical structure around a longitudinal axis proximate to an electrically charged fiber emitter; electrically grounding or charging edge conductors circumferentially resident on the first and second segment, maintaining intermediate collector electrically neutral; dispensing electrospun fiber toward the collector, the fiber attaching to edge conductors and spanning the separation space between edge conductors; attracting electrospun fiber attached to the edge conductors to the surface of the cylindrical structure, forming a first fiber layer; increasing or decreasing rotation speed of the cylindrical structure to alter the angular cross-alignment relationship between aligned nanofibers in adjacent layers, the rotation speed being altered to achieve a target relational angle.

An electrospinning device is provided with a container for holding a liquid comprising a polymer melt or a polymer solution, and a nozzle arranged to outlet a stream of the liquid from the container. A collector collects electro spun material during electrospinning so as to form a fibrous structure. The device comprises an optical measurement system that measures a baseline distance between the collector and the optical measurement system for at least one location on a surface of the collector, and also measures a momentary distance between the optical measurement system and a momentary top layer of the fibrous structure during the electrospinning process. A processor calculates a momentary thickness of the fibrous structure. Once a required thickness is reached the electrospinning can be stopped.

An electrospinning device (1; 30) is provided comprising: a container (2) for holding a liquid comprising a polymer melt or a polymer solution; a nozzle (3) arranged to outlet a stream of the liquid from the container; a collecting surface (4) for collecting electro spun material coming from the nozzle during an electrospinning process so as to form a fibrous structure (8) on the collecting surface (4); a voltage supply system (5) arranged to create a voltage difference between the nozzle and the collecting surface (4), one or more electrostatic emitters (10; 38) arranged to locally distribute positive and/or negative ions onto the fibrous structure, and one or more rotatable bodies (6; 36) arranged to cause the collecting surface (4) to face the nozzle (3) and the electrostatic emitters (10; 38) in turn.

Fibrous materials and methods of manufacturing fibrous materials are disclosed. In particular, this application discloses methods of making and processing serially deposited fibrous structures, such as serially deposited fibrous mats. Serially deposited fibrous mats may be used in implantable medical devices with various characteristics and features. Serially deposited fibrous mats of various mat thickness, fiber size, porosity, pore size, and fiber density are disclosed. Additionally, serially deposited fibrous mats having various amounts of fiber structures (such as intersections, branches, and bundles) per unit area are also disclosed.

A biocompatible textile and methods for its use and fabrication are disclosed. The textile may be fabricated from electrospun fibers forming windings on a mandrel, in which the windings form openings having a mesh size between adjacent windings. The textile may also be fabricated by the addition of solvent-soluble particles incorporated into the textile while the windings are formed. Such particles may be removed by exposing the textile to a solvent, thereby dissolving them. Disclosed are also replacements for animal organs composed of material including at least one layer of an electrospun fiber textile having a mesh size. Such replacements for animal organs may include biocompatible textiles treated with a surface treatment process.