Free-Standing Nanopatterned Poly(ϵ-Caprolactone) Thin Films as a Multifunctional Scaffold

Many cellular processes, including adhesion, alignment, migration, and differentiation, can be manipulated by nanotopography, which is generally fabricated on a support substrate and may restricts the potential applications of the scaffold. In this study, we developed free-standing nanopatterned poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) thin films for regulation of cellular alignment. We characterized the surface topography, wettability, and thermal properties of free-standing nanopatterned PCL thin films. Surface nanotopography on PCL thin film efficiently aligns cells with well-ordered orientation of actin and the nucleus. The developed free-standing thin films were nicely attached to human skin via water droplet. We further functionalized free-standing thin film by introducing magnetic nanoparticles to be manipulated by magnetic field. The techniques described herein would be useful for preparation of highly functionalized scaffolds because of the simple, versatile, and fully scalable features of the system.