Composite Hydrogels with Embedded Electrospun Fibers as Drug Delivery Systems
Paul Codrin Fuioaga, Delia Mihaela Raţă, Tabinda Riaz, Guadalupe Rivero, Gustavo A. Abraham, Leonard Ionuț Atanase
Abstract
Hydrogel/electrospun polymer nanofiber composites (HENC) integrate the advantages of both components. Hydrogels provide high water content, biocompatibility, and tunable drug release, while electrospun nanofibers offer a high surface area, loading capacity, customizable morphology, and opportunities for functionalization. Nanofibers can also be incorporated into hydrogels as 3D-printable inks. Together, these features create biomimetic composites that modulate drug release and mimic native tissues. This article reviews electrospinning fundamentals, limitations, preparation methods for HENC, and their applications in drug delivery, as well as future perspectives for developing advanced functional materials with improved therapeutic efficacy, controlled release kinetics, and broad biomedical adaptability.