Quantitative Mechanophysical Correlations Governing Antibacterial Performance of Amoxicillin-Loaded Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Poly(ethylene glycol) Biodegradable Electrospun Nanofibrous Wound Dressing

Biodegradable electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds (BENS) have emerged as a highly advanced class of wound dressings owing to their close structural and morphological resemblance to the native extracellular matrix and their tunable physicochemical and mechanical characteristics. However, the successful translation of electrospun wound-healing platforms from laboratory concepts to clinically viable products necessitates a quantitative understanding of how formulation and processing variables dictate scaffold architecture, mechanical performance, and antibacterial functionality. In this study, hydrophobic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG35000) were blended at different weight ratios and fabricated into electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds, with amoxicillin trihydrate (AMX) incorporated as a model antibacterial agent. Blank and drug-loaded systems were systematically characterized with respect to solution rheology, fiber morphology, thermal behavior, crystallinity, mechanical performance, surface wettability, and antibacterial activity. Quantitative correlation analyses and statistical comparisons revealed that solution viscosity is a strong predictor of mechanical response, while PEG fraction governs baseline stiffness and crystallinity in a non-linear manner. AMX loading acted as a secondary structural modifier, producing statistically significant increases in stiffness and wettability, accompanied by reduced crystallinity and concentration-dependent antibacterial efficacy. Among the investigated formulations, a PCL: PEG ratio of 3:1 provided the most balanced mechanophysical profile for effective drug incorporation. These findings establish validated structure-property-function relationships that support the rational design of electrospun antibacterial wound dressings.