Gel-spinning of mimetic collagen and collagen/nano-carbon fibers: Understanding multi-scale influences on molecular ordering and fibril alignment

Abstract

Synthetic gel-spun collagen and collagen/nano-carbon fibers were found to exhibit structural mimicry comparable to native tendons. X-ray scattering and microscopy analyses are used to characterize the molecular and fibrillar alignment in the synthetic fibers, where D-banding is observed throughout the spun fibers - consistent with native collagen. For the composite collagen/nano-carbon fibers, the morphology and dispersion quality of the nano-carbons within was found to play a significant role in influencing collagen molecular ordering and fibril alignment. Fibrillar and molecular alignment was also better preserved during elongation of the composites as compared to the control collagen fibers. These results show the structural influence of a rigid inclusion on the collagen fibril structure. Both dry- and wet-state tensile testing were performed on the collagen fibers, and these results show behavior comparable to the native materials. Dry-state tests also reveal interfacial interaction between the nano-fillers and the collagen fibrils through theoretical analysis. Wet-state tensile testing indicates the structure-property behavior of the mimetic hierarchical structure within the synthetic fibers.

Keywords: Collagen; Fiber; Gel-spinning; Mimetic; Nanotechnology; Self-assembly.