Carbon Nexus at the Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3216, Australia.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery (NOCERAL), Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
J Mater Chem B. 2024 Oct 2;12(38):9727-9739. doi: 10.1039/d4tb01630k.
High-performance biocompatible composite materials are gaining attention for their potential in various fields such as neural tissue scaffolds, bio-implantable devices, energy harvesting, and biomechanical sensors. However, these devices currently face limitations in miniaturization, finite battery lifetimes, fabrication complexity, and rigidity. Hence, there is an urgent need for smart and self-powering soft devices that are easily deployable under physiological conditions. Herein, we present a straightforward and efficient fabrication technique for creating flexible/stretchable fiber-based piezoelectric structures using a hybrid nanocomposite of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and barium-titanium oxide (BT). These nanocomposite fibers are capable of converting biomechanical stimuli into electrical signals across various structural designs (knit, braid, woven, and coil). It was found that a stretchable configuration with higher output voltage (4 V) and a power density (87 μW cm) was obtained using nanocomposite coiled fibers or knitted fibers, which are ideal candidates for real-time monitoring of physiological signals. These structures are being proposed for practical transition to the development of the next generation of fiber-based biomedical devices. The cytotoxicity and cytocompatibility of nanocomposite fibers were tested on human mesenchymal stromal cells. The obtained results suggest that the developed fibers can be utilized for smart scaffolds and bio-implantable devices.
高性能的生物相容性复合材料因其在神经组织支架、生物可植入设备、能量收集和生物力学传感器等领域的潜在应用而受到关注。然而，这些设备目前在小型化、有限的电池寿命、制造复杂性和刚性方面存在局限性。因此，迫切需要智能和自供电的软设备，以便在生理条件下轻松部署。在此，我们提出了一种简单有效的制造方法，用于使用聚偏二氟乙烯（PVDF）、还原氧化石墨烯（rGO）和钛酸钡（BT）的混合纳米复合材料制造灵活/可拉伸的纤维基压电结构。这些纳米复合纤维能够将生物力学刺激转换为各种结构设计（针织、编织、机织和线圈）的电信号。研究发现，使用纳米复合螺旋纤维或针织纤维可获得具有更高输出电压（4 V）和功率密度（87 μW cm）的可拉伸配置，这是实时监测生理信号的理想选择。这些结构被提议用于实际过渡到下一代纤维基生物医学设备的开发。对纳米复合纤维的细胞毒性和细胞相容性进行了测试。结果表明，所开发的纤维可用于智能支架和生物可植入设备。
