Biomimetic composite scaffolds based on mineralization of hydroxyapatite on electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone)/nanocellulose fibers

• PCL/NC fibrous matrix was successfully fabricated by electrospinning technique.
• HA-mineralized on PCL/NC fiber can be prepared by SBF immersion.
• NC was successfully used as an additive to induce the deposition of HA nucleus.
• The hydrophilicity of PCL/NC/HA scaffolds increases with the formation of HA.

A biomimetic nanocomposite scaffold with HA formation on the electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL)/nanocellulose (NC) fibrous matrix was developed in this study. The electrospun PCL/NC fiber mat was built and then biomineralized by treatment in simulated body fluid (SBF). Using such a rapid and effective procedure, a continuous biomimetic crystalline HA layer could be successfully formed without the need of any additional chemical modification of the substrate surface. The results showed that the introduction of NC into composite fibers is an effective approach to induce the deposition of HA nucleus as well as to improve their distribution and growth of a crystalline HA layer on the fibrous scaffolds. The water contact angle (WCA) of the PCL/NC/HA scaffolds decreases with increasing NC content and mineralization time, resulting in the enhancement of their hydrophilicity. These results indicated that HA-mineralized on PCL/NC fiber can be prepared directly by simply using SBF immersion.