Hydrophilic Cross-Linked Polymeric Nanofibers Using Electrospinning: Imparting Aqueous Stability to Enable Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Polymeric nanofibers are finding a growing number of applications in various areas of biomedical sciences such as diagnostics, therapeutic delivery, and tissue engineering. Since such applications entail interfacing these materials with the biological milieu, it is often necessary that these nanofibers are hydrophilic in nature, yet stable in an aqueous environment. To date, several approaches to impart stabilization to polymeric nanofibers obtained using electrospinning have been developed. Various strategies utilizing chemical cross-linking of polymers have been exploited to impart stabilization of functional nanofibers fabricated using polymers that are soluble in the aqueous environment. This review highlights the various approaches developed to date for providing stabilization to hydrophilic polymeric nanofibers, along with showcasing the utilization of hydrophilic polymeric nanofibers in several biomedical applications.