3D biomaterials produced by near-field electrospinning and melt electrowriting

Near-field electrospinning and melt electrowriting are attractive techniques that can be used to produce polymeric nano- or microfibres and build three-dimensional (3D) shapes that can be used in biotechnology and biomedicine. Preferred patterns can be designed due to the possibility to define nozzle and collector movements. Opposite to conventional electrospinning, near-field electrospinning enables formation of very fine fibres assembled in structures with much larger pore sizes, tailored according to the requirements of cells, which makes such scaffolds highly interesting for cell culture, tissue engineering applications and similar biomedical and biotechnological applications. In addition, this technique is relatively simple, reproducible and inexpensive. Melt electrowriting can be used to draw microfibres from a solution or a melt through an electrostatic field allowing precise deposition with high accuracy, leading to highly porous scaffolds that facilitate homogeneous cell distribution. This review provides an overview of new theoretical and experimental findings related to near-field electrospinning and melt electrowriting for applications in biotechnology and biomedicine, such as printing scaffolds for tissue engineering and cell culture, producing wound dressings, and others. Near-field electrospinning and melt electrowriting processes are briefly explained, and the most relevant polymers for biomedical applications are presented. Finally, recent challenges and suggestions for future research directions are given.