Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar 10;2(4):1512-1522.
doi: 10.1039/d0na00042f. eCollection 2020 Apr 15.

Novel mineralized electrospun chitosan/PVA/TiO2 nanofibrous composites for potential biomedical applications: computational and experimental insights

Walaa A Abbas  1 , Icell M Sharafeldin  1 , Mostafa M Omar  1 , Nageh K Allam  1
Affiliations

Novel mineralized electrospun chitosan/PVA/TiO2 nanofibrous composites for potential biomedical applications: computational and experimental insights

Walaa A Abbas et al. Nanoscale Adv. .

Abstract

Electrospun nanofibrous materials serve as potential solutions for several biomedical applications as they possess the ability of mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM) of tissues. Herein, we report on the fabrication of novel nanostructured composite materials for potential use in biomedical applications that require a suitable environment for cellular viability. Anodized TiO2 nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) in powder form, with different concentrations, were incorporated as a filler material into a blend of chitosan (Cs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to synthesize composite polymeric electrospun nanofibrous materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nanoindentation, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and MTT assay for cell viability techniques were used to characterize the architectural, structural, mechanical, physical, and biological properties of the fabricated materials. Additionally, molecular dynamics (MD) modelling was performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the polymeric PVA/chitosan matrix upon reinforcing the structure with TiO2 anatase nanotubes. The Young's modulus, shear and bulk moduli, Poisson's ratio, Lame's constants, and compressibility of these composites have been computed using the COMPASS molecular mechanics force fields. The MD simulations demonstrated that the inclusion of anatase TiO2 improves the mechanical properties of the composite, which is consistent with our experimental findings. The results revealed that the mineralized material improved the mechanical strength and the physical properties of the composite. Hence, the composite material has potential for use in biomedical applications.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. (a) Chitosan 6-monomer polymer chain, (b) amorphous cell configuration of chitosan, (c) PVA 6-monomer polymer chain, (d) amorphous cell configuration of PVA, and (e) TiO2 anatase layer.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. (a) PVA–chitosan–PVA composite and (b) PVA–chitosan–TiO2 composite.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. (a) High resolution FESEM image of a TiO2 single bundle confirming the aligned tubular arrays; (b) FESEM image showing TiO2 bundles with smooth walls. (c) TEM image for the TiO2 nanotube bundle after annealing; inset: TEM image of TiO2 NTs before annealing, confirming the hollow structure. (d) Diffraction pattern of the TiO2 NTs.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. FESEM images of (a) PC, (b) TCP0.5, (c) TCP1, and (d) TCP3. (e) High resolution FESEM image confirming the uniform dispersion of TiO2 in the polymeric nanofibers.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. Average nanofiber diameter of PC and TCP materials.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6. Conductivity and viscosity of the different PC and TCP composites.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7. FESEM images of cross-linked (a) chitosan/PVA NFs (PC), (b) TCP1%, (c) TCP0.5%, and (d) TCP3% materials at higher magnification.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8. FTIR spectra of TiO2, Cs, PVA, PC, and TCP nanofibrous materials.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9. (a) Raman spectra of PC and TCP nanofibrous materials and (b) XRD spectra of PC and TCP composite materials.
Fig. 10
Fig. 10. Average hardness and elastic modulus of PC and TCP nanofibrous materials.
Fig. 11
Fig. 11. Cell viability test results of HFB4 cells (control) and treated cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ibrahim D. M. Kakarougkas A. Allam N. K. Recent advances on electrospun scaffolds as matrices for tissue-engineered heart valves. Mater. Today Chem. 2017;5:11–23. doi: 10.1016/j.mtchem.2017.05.001. - DOI
    1. Pina S. et al., Scaffolding Strategies for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Applications. Materials. 2019;12:1824. doi: 10.3390/ma12111824. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhang K. Gao H. Deng R. Li J. Emerging Applications of Nanotechnology for Controlling Cell-Surface Receptor Clustering. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2019;58:4790–4799. doi: 10.1002/anie.201809006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wang X. Ding B. Li B. Biomimetic electrospun nanofibrous structures for tissue engineering. Mater. Today. 2013;16:229–241. doi: 10.1016/j.mattod.2013.06.005. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bhardwaj N. Kundu S. C. Electrospinning: A fascinating fiber fabrication technique. Biotechnol. Adv. 2010;28:325–347. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2010.01.004. - DOI - PubMed