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Polyurethane foams electrophoretically coated with carbon nanotubes for tissue engineering scaffolds
Ewelina Zawadzak1, Monika Bil, Joanna Ryszkowska
1Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Woloska 141, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland.
Biomedical Materials (Bristol, England)
|November 21, 2008
Summary
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coating on polyurethane (PUR) foams enhances bioactivity. This creates promising bioactive scaffolds for bone tissue engineering with improved calcium phosphate precipitation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Polyurethane (PUR) foams offer porous scaffolds for tissue engineering.
- Enhancing the bioactivity and surface properties of PUR foams is crucial for bone regeneration.
- Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess unique properties that can modify biomaterial surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To deposit homogeneous carbon nanotube (CNT) coatings onto polyurethane (PUR) foams using optimized electrophoretic deposition (EPD).
- To investigate the effect of CNT coatings on the bioactivity of PUR scaffolds in simulated body fluid (SBF).
- To evaluate the potential of CNT-coated PUR foams as scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
Main Methods:
- Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was used to coat PUR foams with CNTs, with parameters optimized for homogeneity and infiltration.
- High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) was employed to characterize the microstructure and coating quality.
- Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) assessed thermal properties.
- In vitro bioactivity tests were conducted in concentrated simulated body fluid (1.5 SBF) to observe calcium phosphate (CaP) formation.
Main Results:
- Optimized EPD parameters, specifically 20 V, yielded homogeneous CNT coatings with good infiltration into the 3D PUR foam structure.
- CNT coatings significantly accelerated the precipitation of calcium phosphate (CaP) compounds, including hydroxyapatite (HA), in 1.5 SBF.
- The enhanced CaP formation on CNT-coated foams is attributed to increased nucleation sites provided by the CNTs.
- Thermal properties were correlated with the foam microstructure after CNT coating.
Conclusions:
- Homogeneous CNT coatings on PUR foams can be achieved through optimized EPD.
- The presence of CNTs enhances the bioactivity of PUR scaffolds by promoting faster CaP nucleation and growth.
- CNT-coated PUR foams demonstrate significant potential as advanced bioactive scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications.
