School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
School of Mechatronics and Automation, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
Tissue Eng Part B Rev. 2020 Oct;26(5):484-495. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEB.2019.0260. Epub 2020 Apr 13.
Biopolymer matrices reinforced with nanoparticles or nanofillers have received a great deal of attention over the past decades due to their various roles such as the augmentation of thermal, electrical, mechanical, and surface properties in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and implantation. Understanding the degradation kinetics of these polyesters is very important to successful applications of them. Hydrolysis is a widely agreed mechanism for the polyester degradation. According to this mechanism, hydrolytic degradation of these polyesters can be affected by the autocatalytic action of carboxyl groups as well as other factors such as hydrophilicity, crystallinity, and glass transition temperature. In this article, the effects of nanofillers on the autocatalytic action of carboxyl groups and the foregoing factors are examined. A particular attention is paid to carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are a favorite candidate in a wide range of applications due to their unique thermal and electrical properties. Contradictory degradation results with CNTs are reported and analyzed. Finally, a future research perspective on these polyesters is discussed. Impact statement Nanoparticles have attracted a great deal of attention over the past decades due to their various roles, such as the augmentation of thermal, electrical, mechanical, and surface properties in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and implantation. In this article, the effects of nanoparticles or nanofillers* on the degradation behavior of the polyester matrices (tissue scaffolds, drug delivery devices) are examined with a focus on the autocatalytic action of carboxyl groups, and the factors such as hydrophilicity, crystallinity, and glass transition temperature. Among many nanofillers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are a favorite candidate in a wide range of applications, are found to produce some contradictory results on the degradation of the polyester matrix with CNTs incorporated, and the underlying reason for this finding is discussed for the first time in this article.
生物聚合物基体制成的纳米复合材料或纳米填充材料，在过去几十年中因其各种用途受到了极大的关注，例如在组织工程、药物输送和植入物中增强热、电、机械和表面性能。了解这些聚酯的降解动力学对于成功应用它们非常重要。水解是聚酯降解的广泛认可机制。根据这一机制，这些聚酯的水解降解可以受到羧基的自催化作用以及亲水性、结晶度和玻璃化转变温度等其他因素的影响。本文研究了纳米填充材料对羧基的自催化作用和上述因素的影响。特别关注了碳纳米管（CNTs），由于其独特的热学和电学性能，CNTs 在广泛的应用中备受青睐。本文报道并分析了 CNTs 带来的矛盾的降解结果。最后，讨论了这些聚酯的未来研究前景。
在过去几十年中，由于纳米粒子在组织工程、药物输送和植入物等领域具有增强热、电、机械和表面性能等各种用途，因此受到了极大的关注。本文研究了纳米粒子或纳米填充材料对聚酯基质（组织支架、药物输送装置）降解行为的影响，重点研究了羧基的自催化作用以及亲水性、结晶度和玻璃化转变温度等因素。在众多纳米填充材料中，碳纳米管（CNTs）在广泛的应用中备受青睐，然而，本文发现，加入 CNTs 会对聚酯基质的降解产生一些矛盾的结果，本文首次讨论了这种发现的潜在原因。
