Which type of biomaterial is primarily used in the electrospinning process?

The electrospinning process is predominantly utilized with polymers due to their unique properties that make them ideal for creating nanofibrous structures. Polymers exhibit the necessary viscosity and conductivity required during the electrospinning process to produce fine fibers from a polymeric solution. These fibers can mimic the extracellular matrix found in biological tissues, making them particularly valuable in tissue engineering applications.

In addition, polymers can be easily manipulated to create a variety of structures and functionalized for specific applications, such as drug delivery or enhancing cell adhesion. The resulting nanofibers can possess high surface area-to-volume ratios, which facilitate cell growth and tissue regeneration.

While ceramics, metals, and liquids have important roles in biomaterials, they do not possess the same properties that make polymers suitable for electrospinning. For instance, ceramics are generally more rigid and do not yield fibers like polymers do under the electrospinning process. Metals may not be processable into fibers through electrospinning, and liquids typically cannot maintain the structural integrity needed to form fibrous scaffolds. Thus, polymers are the primary choice in the electrospinning process for tissue engineering due to their versatility and compatibility with biological systems.