Electrospun fibers having contrast agents and methods of making the same

1. A fiber comprising:

an electrospun polymer; and

a contrast agent present in an amount of at least about 1,000 wt % based on the weight of the electrospun polymer.

2. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polymethylmethacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, silicone, polyurethane, polycarbonate, polyether ketone ketone, polyether ether ketone, polyether imide, polyamide, polystyrene, polyether sulfone, polysulfone, polycaprolactone, polylactic acid, polylactide-co-caprolactone, polylactide-co-glycolide, polyglycolic acid, polyglycerol sebacic, polydiol citrate, polyhydroxy butyrate, polyether amide, polydioxanone, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

3. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent is dispersed within the electrospun polymer.

4. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent comprises a powder, the powder comprising particles having a diameter from about 10 nm to about 10 μm.

5. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent is selected from the group consisting of barium, tantalum, tungsten, platinum, gold, bismuth, iodine, gadolinium, diatrizoate, metrizoate, ioxaglate, iopamidol, iohexol, ioxilan, iopromide, iodixanol, derivatives thereof, oxides thereof, salts thereof, and combinations thereof.

6. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent is present in the fiber in an amount of about 1,500 wt % based on the weight of the electrospun polymer.

7. The fiber of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent comprises tantalum.

8. The fiber of claim 1 , further comprising one or more of an electrically conductive material selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, iron, polyaniline, carbon black, polyacrylonitrile, graphene, and combinations thereof; a fluorescent material, a luminescent material, an antibiotic, a growth factor, a vitamin, a cytokine, a steroid, an anti-inflammatory drug, a small molecule, a sugar, a salt, a peptide, a protein, a cell factor, DNA, RNA, or a combination thereof.

9. The fiber of claim 1 , having a length of about 5 μm to about 5m and a diameter of about 50 nm to about 50 μm.

10. The fiber of claim 1 formed into a shape selected from the group consisting of a fragment, a cluster, a strand, a thread, a sheet, a rope, a braid, a coil, a tube, a cylinder, a textile, and a mold of an organ.

11. The fiber of claim 1 formed into a fragment having an average length of about 1 μm to about 1000 μm, and an average diameter of about 0.1 μm to about 10 μm.

12. The fiber of claim 1 formed into a cluster having, independently, an average length of about 1 μm to about 10,000 μm, an average width of about 1 μm to about 10,000 μm, and an average height of about 1 μm to about 10,000 μm.

13. A method of making an electrospun fiber, the method comprising:

configuring a receiving surface to receive a polymer fiber;

applying a charge to one or more of the receiving surface, a polymer injection system, and a polymer solution ejected from the polymer injection system; and

depositing the polymer solution ejected from the polymer injection system onto the receiving surface;

wherein the polymer solution comprises a polymer and a contrast agent; and

wherein the contrast agent is present in an amount of at least about 1,000 wt % based on the weight of the polymer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polymethylmethacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, silicone, polyurethane, polycarbonate, polyether ketone ketone, polyether ether ketone, polyether imide, polyamide, polystyrene, polyether sulfone, polysulfone, polycaprolactone, polylactic acid, polylactide-co-caprolactone, polylactide-co-glycolide, polyglycolic acid, polyglycerol sebacic, polydiol citrate, polyhydroxy butyrate, polyether amide, polydioxanone, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the polymer is present in an amount of about 1 wt % to about 30 wt % based on the weight of the polymer solution.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the contrast agent is present in an amount of about 1,500 wt % based on the weight of the polymer.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the contrast agent comprises a powder, the powder comprising particles having a diameter from about 10 nm to about 10 μm.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the contrast agent is selected from the group consisting of barium, tantalum, tungsten, platinum, gold, bismuth, iodine, gadolinium, diatrizoate, metrizoate, ioxaglate, iopamidol, iohexol, ioxilan, iopromide, iodixanol, derivatives thereof, oxides thereof, salts thereof, and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the polymer solution further comprises a solvent selected from the group consisting of acetone, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, N-methylpyrrolidone, acetonitrile, hexanes, ether, dioxane, ethyl acetate, pyridine, toluene, xylene, tetrahydrofuran, trifluoroacetic acid, hexafluoroisopropanol, acetic acid, dimethylacetamide, chloroform, dichloromethane, water, alcohols, ionic compounds, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the polymer solution further comprises one or more of an electrically conductive material, a fluorescent material, a luminescent material, an antibiotic, a growth factor, a vitamin, a cytokine, a steroid, an anti-inflammatory drug, a small molecule, a sugar, a salt, a peptide, a protein, a cell factor, DNA, RNA, or a combination thereof.

21. A fiber comprising:

an electrospun polymer; and

a contrast agent present in an amount of at least about 1,000 wt % based on the

weight of the electrospun polymer;

wherein the fiber is formed into a shape of a coil.

22. The fiber of claim 21 , wherein the contrast agent comprises tantalum powder dispersed within the electrospun polymer.

23. The fiber of claim 22 , wherein the electrospun polymer comprises a blend of polyethylene terephthalate to polyurethane blend in a 2:8 ratio.