Characterization of polycaprolactone/rGO nanocomposite scaffolds obtained by electrospinning.

Characterization of polycaprolactone/rGO nanocomposite scaffolds obtained by electrospinning. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl. 2019 Oct;103:109773 Authors: Correa E, Moncada ME, Gutiérrez OD, Vargas CA, Zapata VH Abstract The incorporation of nanoparticles inside polymeric matrices has led to the development of multifunctional composites necessary to repair human tissues. The addition of nanoparticles may improve the properties of the composite materials such as surface area, mechanical properties, flexibility, hydrophilicity, electrical conductivity, etc. These properties can help in cellular growth, proliferation and/or differentiation. In this work, scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) and reduced graphite oxide (rGO) were built by electrospinning technique. The ratios of rGO/PCL employed were 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 wt%. Two different voltage setup (10 and 15 kV) and distance of 10 cm were used for electrospinning. Thermal, mechanical, morphological, electrical, porosity and absorption water tests were made to the scaffolds. Samples electrospun at 10 kV with rGO showed improvement in mechanical properties with an increase of 190% of Young's Modulus in comparison with sample without rGO. Furthermore, samples electrospun at 15 kV showed an important deterioration with the addition of rGO but had an increase in the electrical conductivity and porosity. Overall, the addition of 0.75 and 1 wt% of rGO led to a detriment on pr...
Source: Appl Human Sci - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl Source Type: research