abstract
The successful electrospinning of hybrid sol-gel organic-inorganic fibers is challenging, as it relies on the viscosity and temporal stability of the precursor solution. In sol-gel, ongoing hydrolysis-condensation reactions continuously modify rheology, thereby influencing fiber diameter and morphology. To address this, two distinct sol-gel protocols (P1 and P2) were developed by varying water, acid, solvent, and concentration levels to tune crosslinking kinetics. The protocols exhibited different stability profiles and processing windows, resulting in class I hybrids with tailored morphologies. P1 provided a longer 6-hour processing window, yielding porous membranes with larger fibers (∼500 nm), while P2 produced denser membranes with smaller fibers (∼100 nm) within a 2-hour window. These findings demonstrate that adjusting sol-gel chemistry offers a powerful approach to control crosslinking degree and membrane morphology within the same hybrid system. This tunability expands the potential of these membranes for diverse tissue engineering applications, including scaffolds designed to match the distinct structural requirements.
authors
Soraia A. R. Coelho; Rodrigo Moreno; Maria Helena Vaz Fernandes; José Carlos Almeida
our authors
José Carlos Martins de Almeida
Assistant Researcher
Maria Helena Figueira Vaz Fernandes
Retired Professor
Soraia Alexandra Ramos Coelho
PhD StudentGroups
G3 - Electrochemical Materials, Interfaces and Coatings
G5 - Biomimetic, Biological and Living Materials
acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the JECS Trust for funding the stay of Soraia A.R. Coelho in ICV, CSIC, Madrid, Spain (Contract No.2024397). This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, UID/50011/2025 & LA/P/0006/2020 (DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0006/2020), financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). Soraia A.R.Coelho acknowledges the FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, for the PhD grant (2021.05864.BD, https://doi.org/10.54499/2021.05864.BD).