FIG. 4.

Characterization of PCL scaffold. (A) Gross appearance of scaffold. (B) Strain–stress curves indicated dramatic difference in tensile strength between aligned and random scaffolds; anisotropy in tensile strength was noticed in aligned scaffolds (Aligned longi vs. Aligned cross). (C) In aligned scaffolds, the elastic modulus was the highest in longitudinal direction (Aligned longi vs. Aligned cross), which was also significantly higher compared with randomly oriented scaffolds (Random longi, Random cross). *p < 0.05; N = 3. (D) SEM image of aligned microfibrous PCL scaffolds. (E) Distribution of fiber diameters. (F) Most fibers in the aligned scaffold were oriented at between 80° and 100° with respect to cross axis. PCL, poly-ɛ-caprolactone; SEM, scanning electron microscope. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/tea