Electrospinning Device for Sterile Wound Dressing Application
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wound dressings cause discomfort and skin irritation due to stretching, fail to flex with skin movement, and risk damaging new tissue during application and removal, while also posing sterility challenges and inefficient drug delivery.
Innovation Solution
An electrospinning device generates a nonwoven coat of biocompatible polymer fibers with predetermined porosity, flexibility, and drug incorporation, which can be shaped to fit individual wounds and body geometry, allowing for sterile application without stretching and facilitating continuous drug delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wound dressings are applied to cover skin defects, then the wound is protected, but the dressing causes discomfort and skin irritation due to stretching
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the dressing material by using electrospinning to create a nonwoven structure with specific porosity (30-70%), fiber diameter (0.1-10 micrometers), and flexibility characteristics. This nonwoven structure allows the dressing to conform to body contours without stretching, eliminating skin irritation while maintaining wound protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material structure by combining electrospun polymer fibers with pharmaceutical agents embedded within the nonwoven matrix. This composite approach provides both the mechanical properties needed for comfortable wear and the pharmaceutical functionality for wound treatment, resolving the contradiction between protection and comfort.
2Area of stationary object
If conventional wound dressings are stretched to fit the wound area, then the dressing covers the wound, but the stretching forces cause serious skin damage on weak or damaged skin
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the dressing by creating a nonwoven structure with controlled fiber orientation and porosity that allows the material to expand and conform to body contours passively, without requiring active stretching during application. This eliminates the harmful stretching forces while maintaining adequate wound coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates dynamic flexibility into the dressing material through the electrospun nonwoven structure, which can adapt its shape and size dynamically to match body contours and wound geometry. This dynamic adaptability allows the dressing to cover adequate areas without imposing static stretching forces on the skin.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional wound dressings are applied without stretching, then skin damage is avoided, but the dressing does not flexibly deform enough following skin movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the physical parameters of the nonwoven structure, including fiber diameter (0.1-10 micrometers), porosity (30-70%), and polymer composition, to achieve optimal flexibility and elasticity. These parameter changes enable the dressing to deform and recover with skin movement without requiring stretching during application, thus preventing skin damage while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the porous nonwoven structure created by electrospinning, with controlled porosity (30-70%), to provide both flexibility and structural integrity. The porous architecture allows the material to bend and deform with skin movement while maintaining its protective function, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and structural stability.
4Ease of operation
If fingers contact the dressing surface during application, then the dressing can be positioned, but the contact may contaminate the surface adjacent to the wound
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical application method (manual handling and positioning) with an electrospinning deposition process where the nonwoven material is formed and applied through controlled polymer fiber deposition. This substitution eliminates the need for finger contact with the dressing surface during application, maintaining sterility while ensuring proper positioning through the electrospinning mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the dressing material to be self-positioning through the electrospinning process, where the nonwoven structure is deposited directly onto the wound area through controlled parameter adjustment. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual handling and maintains sterility by avoiding contact between fingers and the dressing surface during application.
5Reliability
If the wound dressing adheres to the epithelium during healing, then the dressing remains in place, but removal of the dressing may damage the sensitive tissue and new growth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface properties and adhesion characteristics of the dressing material through electrospinning parameter control, creating a nonwoven structure with controlled porosity and fiber morphology that provides sufficient stability during healing while allowing painless removal. The specific fiber diameter (0.1-10 micrometers) and porosity (30-70%) create optimal adhesion characteristics that prevent tissue damage during removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates dynamic adhesion properties into the dressing material, which allows the dressing to adhere sufficiently during the healing process but can be removed without damaging sensitive tissue. The nonwoven structure provides dynamic bonding characteristics that adapt to the healing stage, maintaining stability when needed while enabling gentle removal to protect new growth.
6Reliability
If conventional wound dressings are used, then the wound is covered, but drug delivery is inefficient compared to direct application over open wound
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material by embedding pharmaceutical agents directly within the electrospun polymer fibers and nonwoven matrix. This composite structure allows the dressing to provide both wound coverage and efficient drug delivery simultaneously, as the pharmaceutical agents are released from the nonwoven structure directly at the wound site, eliminating the need to strip the dressing for treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the porous nonwoven structure (porosity 30-70%) created by electrospinning to enable efficient drug delivery. The porous architecture allows pharmaceutical agents embedded within the matrix to diffuse and release directly at the wound site, maintaining wound coverage while improving drug delivery efficiency compared to conventional dressings.
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
The solution provides a sterile, flexible, and removable wound dressing that minimizes tissue damage, maintains sterility during application, and ensures efficient drug delivery, addressing the limitations of conventional dressings by using an electrospinning device to create a custom-fit, biocompatible nonwoven material.
Implementation Method 1
a first system of electrodes, the dispenser and the first system of electrodes being constructed and design such that the liquefied polymer is dispensed from the dispenser and forms a plurality of polymer fibers moving along the longitudinal axis
Data Source
AI summary
An electrospinning device for generating a coat from a liquefied polymer, the device comprising: (a) a dispenser for dispensing the liquefied polymer; (b) a cavity having a longitudinal axis, comprising a first system of electrodes; the dispenser and the first system of electrodes being constructed and design such that the liquefied polymer is dispensed from the dispenser and forms a plurality of polymer fibers moving along the longitudinal axis; and (c) a mechanism for relocating the polymer fibers out of the cavity, in a direction of an object, so as to generate a coat on the object.