ABSTRACT
The chapter focuses on nanocomposites fabricated through electrospinning mimicking extracellular matrices (NC-EsECMs) in tissue engineering applications. Tissue engineering combines materials science with stem cell research to generate templates for repair/regeneration of tissues and, thereby, organs. Carbon nanostructures are incorporated in a biodegradable polymeric matrix for a variety of tissue engineering applications. Electrospinning is also used for the fabrication of an NC-EsECM for vascular tissue engineering to protect against coronary artery and peripheral vascular diseases. Electrospinning is a versatile technique to fabricate nanofibrous composite scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Methodologies that are used to fabricate NC-EsECMs include physical adsorption, covalent bonding, coaxial electrospinning, and blending of molecules with the dominant polymer matrix. Electrospinning is also widely used to develop biomimetic-guided tissue regeneration for localized sustained drug release. Typical fibers fabricated through electrospinning used for tissue engineering such as collagen and gelatin are mechanically weak and can even degrade when exposed to the moisture in air.
