Optimization of Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Polyvinyl Alcohol Electrospun using Taguchi Method for Tissue Engineering Application

Composite nanofibers for tissue engineering applications were prepared with polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinyl alcohol via a horizontal electrospinning process. The effect of the processing parameters (polymer concentration, voltage, feed rate and tip-to-collector distance) on the fibre diameter was studied using L9 orthogonal arrays of the Taguchi Method, S/N ratio, and ANOVA to produce uniform and finest fibre. The optimum parameters were at 90 wt% PVDF ratios for polymer concentration, applied voltage at 10 kV, feed rate at 0.5 mL/h and tip-to-collector distance at 15 cm. The PVDF/PVA electrospun compromises 171.60 nm nanofiber diameter with homogenous morphology and no bead formed. MTT and live/dead kit assay analysis toward human (HSF) cells confirmed the potential of the PVDF/PVA electrospun to be used as an alternative tissue template to allow new cell or tissue formation in the future.