Skin‐Compatible Carbopol Electrospun Fiber Membranes with pH‐Dependent Rheological Properties for Biomedical Applications

Abstract Properties of pH‐responsive electrospun nanofibers incorporated with biocompatible/degradable Carbopol, commonly used in pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are reported. Sonication of Carbopol dispersions prior to electrospinning leads to uniform incorporation into fibers of the ho...

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Main Authors: Daewoo Han, Robert Horvath, Burcu Uner, Giovanni M. Pauletti, Andrew J. Steckl
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-VCH 2025-03-01
Series:Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400335
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author Daewoo Han
Robert Horvath
Burcu Uner
Giovanni M. Pauletti
Andrew J. Steckl
author_facet Daewoo Han
Robert Horvath
Burcu Uner
Giovanni M. Pauletti
Andrew J. Steckl
author_sort Daewoo Han
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Properties of pH‐responsive electrospun nanofibers incorporated with biocompatible/degradable Carbopol, commonly used in pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are reported. Sonication of Carbopol dispersions prior to electrospinning leads to uniform incorporation into fibers of the host polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone. The hydration behavior is strongly influenced by pH conditions, forming a viscous network at higher pH. Since Carbopol is more responsive to higher pH, at pH > 6 increasing Carbopol concentration leads to increased uptake volume of buffer solution, faster uptake rate and complete gel formation. The physical spreadability (resulting from a combination of viscoelastic properties and the structural polymer network) of the hydrated fibers is evaluated for multiple Carbopol concentrations and pH conditions. At low starting pH of 4, increasing the Carbopol amount results in slightly increasing viscosity while maintain solution pH. On the other hand, at high starting pH of 8 increasing Carbopol concentrations result in significant reduction in the pH of the buffer solution, which in turn decreases the viscosity of the gel and increases its spreadability. These findings provide guidelines for rational designs of pH responsive Carbopol fibers for various applications, including drug delivery, wound dressing, contraceptive devices, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
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issn 1438-7492
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language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
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series Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
spelling doaj-art-3b79cc5897fc4e908c0d90bc44ebec9d2025-08-20T03:27:58ZengWiley-VCHMacromolecular Materials and Engineering1438-74921439-20542025-03-013103n/an/a10.1002/mame.202400335Skin‐Compatible Carbopol Electrospun Fiber Membranes with pH‐Dependent Rheological Properties for Biomedical ApplicationsDaewoo Han0Robert Horvath1Burcu Uner2Giovanni M. Pauletti3Andrew J. Steckl4Nanoelectronics Laboratory Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Cincinnati Cincinnati OH 45221 USANanoelectronics Laboratory Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Cincinnati Cincinnati OH 45221 USADepartment of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis St. Louis MO 63110 USADepartment of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis St. Louis MO 63110 USANanoelectronics Laboratory Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Cincinnati Cincinnati OH 45221 USAAbstract Properties of pH‐responsive electrospun nanofibers incorporated with biocompatible/degradable Carbopol, commonly used in pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are reported. Sonication of Carbopol dispersions prior to electrospinning leads to uniform incorporation into fibers of the host polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone. The hydration behavior is strongly influenced by pH conditions, forming a viscous network at higher pH. Since Carbopol is more responsive to higher pH, at pH > 6 increasing Carbopol concentration leads to increased uptake volume of buffer solution, faster uptake rate and complete gel formation. The physical spreadability (resulting from a combination of viscoelastic properties and the structural polymer network) of the hydrated fibers is evaluated for multiple Carbopol concentrations and pH conditions. At low starting pH of 4, increasing the Carbopol amount results in slightly increasing viscosity while maintain solution pH. On the other hand, at high starting pH of 8 increasing Carbopol concentrations result in significant reduction in the pH of the buffer solution, which in turn decreases the viscosity of the gel and increases its spreadability. These findings provide guidelines for rational designs of pH responsive Carbopol fibers for various applications, including drug delivery, wound dressing, contraceptive devices, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400335carbopolelectrospinningnanofiberpH responsive hydrogelskin compatibility
spellingShingle Daewoo Han
Robert Horvath
Burcu Uner
Giovanni M. Pauletti
Andrew J. Steckl
Skin‐Compatible Carbopol Electrospun Fiber Membranes with pH‐Dependent Rheological Properties for Biomedical Applications
Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
carbopol
electrospinning
nanofiber
pH responsive hydrogel
skin compatibility
title Skin‐Compatible Carbopol Electrospun Fiber Membranes with pH‐Dependent Rheological Properties for Biomedical Applications
title_full Skin‐Compatible Carbopol Electrospun Fiber Membranes with pH‐Dependent Rheological Properties for Biomedical Applications
title_fullStr Skin‐Compatible Carbopol Electrospun Fiber Membranes with pH‐Dependent Rheological Properties for Biomedical Applications
title_full_unstemmed Skin‐Compatible Carbopol Electrospun Fiber Membranes with pH‐Dependent Rheological Properties for Biomedical Applications
title_short Skin‐Compatible Carbopol Electrospun Fiber Membranes with pH‐Dependent Rheological Properties for Biomedical Applications
title_sort skin compatible carbopol electrospun fiber membranes with ph dependent rheological properties for biomedical applications
topic carbopol
electrospinning
nanofiber
pH responsive hydrogel
skin compatibility
url https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400335
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AT burcuuner skincompatiblecarbopolelectrospunfibermembraneswithphdependentrheologicalpropertiesforbiomedicalapplications
AT giovannimpauletti skincompatiblecarbopolelectrospunfibermembraneswithphdependentrheologicalpropertiesforbiomedicalapplications
AT andrewjsteckl skincompatiblecarbopolelectrospunfibermembraneswithphdependentrheologicalpropertiesforbiomedicalapplications