Electrospinning is a versatile and widely employed technique for fabricating nanofibrous structures with applications in various biomedical fields, particularly wound dressing. The process involves using an electrostatic field to draw polymer solutions into nanofibers onto a substrate. Nanofibrous membranes offer numerous advantages, including a high surface area for cell interaction, porosity for oxygen exchange, and tunable mechanical properties that mimic the natural extracellular matrix, creating an ideal environment for wound healing. Currently, harmful solvents are commonly used to manufacture such membranes, and production is limited to ventilated laboratory settings. To address these limitations, we introduce a novel alcohol-based electrospinning method that is portable and safe for use in open environments. At the same time, we compared the conditions, and the resulting fibrous membranes produced with this mobile system to those fabricated using conventional lab-scale and continuous pilot-scale systems. Membranes produced with this innovative method were extensively characterized. SEM imaging showcased their structure, and tensile testing was conducted to investigate the mechanical properties. Incorporating green additives to improve spinnability led to various polymer solution compositions tailored to each production scale. This work demonstrates the potential of alcohol-based electrospinning to produce nanofibrous membranes for wound dressings while ensuring a green, sustainable, and scalable fabrication process.

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Bio

Chris received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Polymer Chemistry group at Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg in 2023 where he developed cellulose-based nanocomposites for food packaging applications. He joined Empa in 2024 as a postdoctoral researcher where he specializes in electrospinning bio-based, bio-sourced materials from alternative green solvents.