Thick electrospun honeycomb scaffolds with controlled pore size

•3D nanofibrous scaffolds with controlled pore size are obtained by electrospinning.•Pores are structured in columns which size can be tuned from 80 to 360 µm.•Columns of pores are merging in the thickness forming a porosity gradient.

A novel strategy to prepare thick nanofibrous scaffolds with controlled pore size and graded porosity by electrospinning was developed. Taking advantage of the self-assembling properties of bimodal nanofibers, it was possible to grow columns of pores with mm height. The use of a honeycomb microstructured collector allows the control of the pore diameter from 80 to 360 µm. With increasing sample thickness, the columns of pores begin to merge creating a gradient in pore diameter of up to several hundreds of microns. These scaffolds should be ideal for tissue engineering applications.

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