Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Article number | 106630 |
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<mark>Journal publication date</mark> | 30/09/2024 |
<mark>Journal</mark> | Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials |
Volume | 157 |
Publication Status | Published |
Early online date | 17/06/24 |
<mark>Original language</mark> | English |
Currently, the use of autografts is the gold standard for the replacement of many damaged biological tissues. However, this practice presents disadvantages that can be mitigated through tissue-engineered implants. The aim of this study is to explore how machine learning can mechanically evaluate 2D and 3D polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) electrospun scaffolds (one twisted filament, 3 twisted filament and 3 twisted/braided filament scaffolds) for their use in different tissue engineering applications. Crosslinked and non-crosslinked scaffolds were fabricated and mechanically characterised, in dry/wet conditions and under longitudinal/transverse loading, using tensile testing. 28 machine learning models (ML) were used to predict the mechanical properties of the scaffolds. 4 exogenous variables (structure, environmental condition, crosslinking and direction of the load) were used to predict 2 endogenous variables (Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength). ML models were able to identify 6 structures and testing conditions with comparable Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength to ligamentous tissue, skin tissue, oral and nasal tissue, and renal tissue. This novel study proved that Classification and Regression Trees (CART) models were an innovative and easy to interpret tool to identify biomimetic electrospun structures; however, Cubist and Support Vector Machine (SVM) models were the most accurate, with R 2 of 0.93 and 0.8, to predict the ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus, respectively. This approach can be implemented to optimise the manufacturing process in different applications.