Conductive Electrospun Polyurethane-Polyaniline Scaffolds Coated with Poly(vinyl alcohol)-GPTMS under Oxygen Plasma Surface Modification

Publication date: Available online 10 November 2019Source: Materials Today CommunicationsAuthor(s): Farnaz Ghorbani, Ali Zamanian, Amir AidunAbstractPolyurethane is an important synthetic polymer which considered promising for bone tissue engineering. Besides, presence of conductive polymer such as could play a crucial role in efficient reconstruction of injured tissue. In the present study, the polyurethane-polyaniline scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning technology. The electrospun fibers were modified by oxygen plasma treatment technique for immobilization of polyvinyl alcohol and 3-Glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane. Eventually, the prepared constructs were characterized using proper analysis including morphology and roughness observation, chemical characterization, water-scaffolds interaction and biomineralization potential, cellular adhesion and proliferation, and finally osteogenic expression. According to microscopy results, bead-free, uniform, and nano-sized fibers were obtained; after coating, the surface was covered homogeneously with polyvinyl alcohol and 3-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane. The electrospun scaffolds showed highly porous structures, and their large surface-to-volume ratio made them suitable for tissue engineering applications. The degree of roughness and the mean height were increased from 96.59 nm to 144.4 and 267 to 429 nm, respectively, after the oxygen plasma surface treatment. Additionally, the modified fibers showed improved hydroph...
Source: Materials Today Communications - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research