School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; ARC Center of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, University of Wollongong, 2522 NSW, Australia.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2018 Jul 1;521:24-32. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2018.03.015. Epub 2018 Mar 7.
Processing conditions deeply affect the mechanical, chemical and biological properties of elastomeric based nanocomposites. In this work, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were dispersed in poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) prepolymer, followed by curing under vacuum at 120 °C. It was observed an increase of the water contact angle with the amount of MWCNTs added, as well as the tensile strength and Young modulus, without compromising the elastomeric behaviour of the pristine PGS matrix. The cross-linking degree was determined by the Flory-Rehner swelling method and through the mechanical rubber elasticity model, and an increase of more than six-fold was observed, which demonstrates the chemical conjugation between the MWCNTs and the PGS polymer chains, resulting in stiff and elastomeric nanocomposites. Finally, in vitro cell culture of adult mouse hypothalamus neurons A59 cells showed good support for cell viability and stimulation for axons and dendrites growth. The unique features of these nanocomposites make them promise for biomedical applications, as soft tissue substrates with tailored mechanical properties.
处理条件会深刻影响弹性体基纳米复合材料的机械、化学和生物学性能。在这项工作中，多壁碳纳米管（MWCNTs）在聚（癸二酸甘油酯）（PGS）预聚物中分散，然后在 120°C 下真空固化。观察到随着添加的 MWCNTs 量的增加，水接触角增加，拉伸强度和杨氏模量增加，而不会损害原始 PGS 基质的弹性体行为。通过 Flory-Rehner 溶胀法和机械橡胶弹性模型确定交联度，观察到交联度增加了六倍以上，这表明 MWCNTs 和 PGS 聚合物链之间发生了化学接枝，从而形成了刚性和弹性纳米复合材料。最后，体外培养成年小鼠下丘脑神经元 A59 细胞显示出对细胞活力的良好支持，并刺激轴突和树突生长。这些纳米复合材料的独特特性使它们有望在生物医学应用中作为具有定制机械性能的软组织基质。
