Biomedical Applications of Electrospun Piezoelectric Nanofibrous Scaffolds

The recent developments in the field of smart biomaterials and the research related to their properties have provided ground-breaking approaches to the field of biomedical research. Piezoelectric materials are one of the most promising smart materials for biomedical applications which can generate electric signals when mechanically stimulated. Electrospun nanofibers are an exciting class of materials for biomedical applications due to their topological and mechanical properties which can directly relate to the characteristics of biological materials and extracellular matrices. Electrospinning technology can be evoked to create micro-nano-size fibres and scaffolds with various in situ functionalities such as piezoelectricity which can be directly accessible to the cellular level and hence makes it a versatile tool for bioengineering applications. Electrospinning itself can be used to evoke piezoelectricity in certain polymers and hence the combination of electrospinning and piezoelectricity can be a better option for the development of the next generation of smart biomaterials. The chapter gives a technical overview of the properties and the applications of piezoelectric nanofibers and their potential applications in tissue engineering to implantable self-powered biomedical devices.