POLY 115 |
| An ideal scaffold for bone tissue engineering should possess the favorable characteristics for cell growth along with appreciable strength. Electrospun scaffolds with nanoscale dimensions, high surface to volume ratio and interconnected pore structure, resembles the extra-cellular matrix present in our body and promotes cell growth. The cells attach, multiply and differentiate on the scaffold, produce their own ECM and eventually replace the scaffold to form a new living tissue. However, the scaffold has to be optimized in various ways, so as to obtain enhanced mechanical integrity and cell-scaffold interactions required for bone tissue engineering. The use of carbon nanofibers (CNF) in the tissue scaffolds has recently generated interest because they are light weight and strong (mechanical properties higher than of bone) and possess good electrical conductivity. Carbon nanofiber addition into the polymeric nanofibers can reduce the mechanical mismatch between scaffold and the bone tissue. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the main inorganic mineral present in the bone tissue, hence the inclusion of HA has been suggested to increase the biocompatibility by better cell adhesion and multiplication on the scaffolds. The objective of the present study includes using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to coat nanoHA on an electrospun 15 %wt poly (å-caprolactone) -mcarbon nanofiber (0.1, 0.5 %wt) scaffold. These scaffolds were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA). The amount of nano-HA increased as the time of deposition increased. The porosity of the scaffolds need for cell migration was not compromised except in 24 hours. The sterilization process for cell seeding did not affect the nanoHA on the scaffold. The scaffolds can now be seeded with cells to characterize the affect of CNF and nanoHA. |
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Undergraduate Research in Polymer Science
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Sunday, April 6, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster
Division of Polymer Chemistry |