Herein, we report the fabrication and characterization of novel polycaprolactone (PCL)-based nanofibers functionalized with bare (ligand-free) titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles (NPs) for tissue engineering applications. Nanofibers were prepared by a newly developed protocol based on the electrospinning of PCL solutions together with TiN NPs synthesized by femtosecond laser ablation in acetone. The generated hybrid nanofibers were characterised using spectroscopy, microscopy, and thermal analysis techniques. As shown by scanning electron microscopy measurements, the fabricated electrospun nanofibers had uniform morphology, while their diameter varied between 0.403 ± 0.230 µm and 1.1 ± 0.15 µm by optimising electrospinning solutions and parameters. Thermal analysis measurements demonstrated that the inclusion of TiN NPs in nanofibers led to slight variation in mass degradation initiation and phase change behaviour (Tm). In vitro viability tests using the incubation of 3T3 fibroblast cells in a nanofiber-based matrix did not reveal any adverse effects, confirming the biocompatibility of hybrid nanofiber structures. The generated hybrid nanofibers functionalized with plasmonic TiN NPs are promising for the development of smart scaffold for tissue engineering platforms and open up new avenues for theranostic applications.

Aix Marseille University CNRS LP3 163 Ave De Luminy Case 917 13288 Marseille France

Bio Nanophotonics Laboratory MEPhI Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine 31 Kashirskoe sh 115409 Moscow Russia

Faculty of Technology and Bionics Rhine Waal University of Applied Science Marie Curie Straße 1 47533 Kleve Germany

Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences Vídeňská 1083 14220 Prague 4 Czech Republic

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Advances in Electrospun Hybrid Nanofibers for Biomedical Applications