Fabrication and Characterization of Chitosan-Integrated Polyvinyl Alcohol–Polycaprolactone/Tea Tree Oil Nanofibrous Scaffolds via Dual-Nozzle Electrospinning for Wound Dressing Applications

Abstract

Hybrid nanofibrous mats comprising distinct hydrophilic and hydrophobic fiber populations were fabricated by simultaneous dual-nozzle co-electrospinning for potential wound-dressing applications. Four formulations—polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–polycaprolactone (PCL), PVA/Chitosan (CS)–PCL, PVA-PCL/Tea Tree Oil (TTO), and PVA/CS-PCL/TTO—were systematically evaluated in terms of their morphological, physicochemical, mechanical, release, and in vitro cellular properties. All formulations exhibited continuous, bead-free fiber morphologies. FTIR and DSC analyses indicated the physical incorporation of CS and TTO and composition-dependent changes in polymer-chain organization. TTO incorporation improved surface wettability, decreasing the water contact angle to 46.69 ± 2.80° and 57.05 ± 1.40° in the CS-free and CS-containing formulations, respectively. The PVA/CS-PCL/TTO mat exhibited the highest tensile strength (19.17 ± 3.06 MPa) and strain at break (10.82 ± 1.81%). Cumulative TTO release reached 97.63–99.75% within 8 h. MTT analysis showed favorable HDF metabolic activity, with the highest response observed for PVA/CS-PCL/TTO on day 7. Overall, the results support the further investigation of these hybrid nanofibrous mats as potential wound-dressing platforms.