Conductive Polyaniline Patterns on Electrospun Polycaprolactone/Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Currently, the challenge for bone tissue engineering is to design a scaffold that would mimic the structure and biological functions of the extracellular matrix and would be able to direct the appropriate response of cells through electrochemical signals, thus stimulate faster bone formation. The purpose of the presented research was to perform and evaluate PCL/n-HAp scaffolds locally modified with a conductive polymer-polyaniline. The material was obtained using electrospinning, and a simple ink-jet printing method was applied to receive the conductive polyaniline patterns on the surface of the electrospun materials. The samples of scaffolds were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (DSC, TGA), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) before and after immersion of the material in Simulated Body Fluid. The effect of PANI patterns on changes in the SBF mineralization process and cell morphology was evaluated in order to prove that the presented material enables the growth and proliferation of bone cells.