A Polyphenol Decorated Triplex Hybrid Biomaterial: Structure-Function, Release Profiles, Sorption, and Antipathogenic...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Development of advanced hybrid biomaterials is crucial for environmental remediation and biomedical applications.
• Flax, chitosan, and tannic acid offer unique properties for creating functional biomaterials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel hierarchal triplex hybrid biomaterial (THB) using a facile dip-coating method.
• To investigate the physicochemical properties, release kinetics, solvent uptake, and antipathogenic activity of the THB.

Main Methods:

• Nonwoven alkali-modified flax substrates were coated with chitosan and tannic acid via dip-coating.
• Physicochemical properties were characterized using IR, Raman, NMR, XRD, and SEM.
• Polyphenol release kinetics, solvent uptake, and antimicrobial activity were evaluated.

Main Results:

• The THB exhibited a unique hierarchal porous structure and semicrystalline nature.
• Polyphenol release followed the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, indicating Fickian diffusion.
• The THB demonstrated significant solvent uptake (up to 4 g/g) and 95% pathogen elimination.

Conclusions:

• The facile dip-coating strategy yields a unique hierarchal biomaterial with synergistic properties.
• The THB shows promise as a responsive adsorbent for environmental remediation and biomedical applications.
• This work presents the first example of such a hierarchal biomaterial for diverse applications.