Graphene oxide-reinforced pectin/chitosan polyelectrolyte complex scaffolds

Three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds based on graphene oxide (GO) incorporated pectin/chitosan polyelectrolyte complex (PCGO) were prepared by the freeze-drying technique. The chemical composition and microstructure of the prepared PCGO scaffolds were studied by FTIR and XRD analysis. The presence of GO and its uniform distribution within the polymer matrix was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and confocal Raman mapping analysis, respectively. TGA analysis revealed that the addition of GO improves the thermal stability of the pectin/chitosan complex. SEM analysis confirmed the uniform pore distribution of PCGO scaffolds. Moreover, it showed that the pore size of the scaffolds was decreased with the increase in GO content. Among the developed PCGO scaffolds, the scaffolds with 1 wt.% of GO presented the improved hydrophilicity by exhibiting the water swelling degree of 2004%, water retention capacity of 1101% and water contact angle (WCA) of 21°. In addition, these scaffolds presented better compressive strength (∼283 kPa) and resistance towards lysozyme-mediated degradation. The PCGO scaffolds presented an acceptable level of bio-and hemocompatibility and GO concentration-dependent cell attachment ability. These results demonstrate the suitability of PCGO scaffolds for tissue engineering.