Degradable Scaffold for Electrospun Medical Device Coatings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Challenges in coating medical devices with electrospun materials include uneven coatings, damage to devices during the electrospinning process, and the inability of coatings to stretch, due to the use of materials and chemicals in the electrospinning process.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a degradable scaffold on the medical device's exterior surface, followed by electrospinning a polymer coating onto the scaffold, and then removing the scaffold while maintaining the coating, using degradable materials like PEG, PLGA, and ice structures to support and guide the coating application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a sacrificial scaffold is used to support the electrospun coating during application, then the coating uniformity and device protection are improved, but the process complexity and material selection constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
A sacrificial scaffold is introduced as an intermediary structure that temporarily supports the electrospun coating during the electrospinning process. The scaffold serves as a mediator between the coating material and the medical device, enabling uniform coating application while protecting the device from direct exposure to harsh chemicals. After coating completion, the scaffold is removed through dissolution or degradation, leaving the desired porous coating on the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The scaffold is applied to the medical device surface before the electrospinning process begins. This preliminary action prepares the surface with a temporary support structure that guides the electrospun material deposition, ensuring uniform coating formation and preventing device damage during the subsequent electrospinning operation.
2Ease of manufacture
If degradable materials are used for the scaffold, then the scaffold removal is simplified and coating integrity is maintained, but the material selection range is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The scaffold is constructed from degradable materials whose physical or chemical parameters change over time or under specific conditions. These materials can undergo dissolution, hydrolysis, or enzymatic degradation, transforming from a stable structural support into removable byproducts. This parameter change enables simplified scaffold removal while maintaining coating integrity, as the degrading scaffold material can be eliminated without disrupting the completed electrospun coating.
3Device complexity
If traditional electrospinning is applied directly to the medical device, then the process is simple, but the device may be damaged by chemicals and the coating will be uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The sacrificial scaffold acts as a protective intermediary between the medical device and the electrospinning chemicals. By placing the scaffold on the device surface before electrospinning, the harsh solvents and polymers are prevented from directly contacting and potentially damaging the device. The scaffold absorbs the chemical exposure while providing a template for uniform coating deposition.
Solution Approach 2:
Applying the sacrificial scaffold before electrospinning is a preliminary protective measure that prevents device damage. This pre-treatment step prepares the device surface with a protective layer that will be removed after coating, ensuring both device integrity and coating uniformity without requiring complex modifications to the electrospinning process itself.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for uniform, gapless, and stretchable porous coatings on medical devices, protecting the devices from damage and enabling the application of desired shapes and sizes, while ensuring the scaffold's removal does not disrupt the electrospun coating.
Implementation Method 1
electrospinning a polymer to apply the porous coating on the scaffold
Implementation Method 2
removing the scaffold from the medical device while maintaining the porous coating on the medical device. Forming the scaffold comprises applying a degradable material along the exterior surface of the medical device
Data Source
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AI summary
Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward apparatuses, systems and methods that include a porous coating on a medical device. The porous coating may be formed by forming a scaffold along an exterior surface of the medical device to support the porous coating during application thereof and electrospinning a polymer to apply the porous coating on the scaffold.