TAGS: Electrical & Electronics Medical Nanotechnologies
Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University jointly with their colleagues from the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and several some overseas universities have developed a polymeric material combining at the same time two properties, which are important for further application in medical implants. The material is biodegradable, i.e., capable to dissolve in a human body after some time, as well as possesses improved piezoelectric properties such as a capability to generate electric charge accelerating tissue regeneration.
The scientists are intending to research further how the new material interacts with living cells and tissues in order the material will be applicable to produce biodegradable implants of the vast scope of application.
Improved Properties and Biodegradability
It became possible to improve material properties due to the impurity of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) flakes. The obtained material visually reminds a greyish fabric. This fiber construction simulates scaffolding and is called a scaffold. Cells literally fill this fiber construction generating new tissues in an injured spot.
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We were able to create a material with the worth piezoelectric properties, notably, a biodegradable material. There are only a few such polymers in the world,” Roman Surmenev, director of the TPU research center for physical materials science and composite materials, explains. “
Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB), a biodegradable polymer, which was already used for research, was taken as basic material. In the initial polymer solution, there was added rGO nanoflakes. As we forecast, this additive essentially changed a molecular composition and polymer structure.”
There was an increased electric charge (potential) of the obtained hybrid scaffolds on the surface by 9.5 folds and increased piezoelectric response by 2.5 folds in comparison with an unpromoted polymer. For the first time, there were also studied the piezoelectric properties of the polymer at the nanoscale. According to the article authors, the piezoelectric properties of the developed hybrid biodegradable scaffolds surpass the piezoelectric response of human’s bone tissue and сollagen.
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The material is promising for implants in bone tissue engineering, regeneration of nervous tissue and some other vital types of tissues,” Andrey Kholkin, director of the TPU international research center for piezo- and magnetoelectric materials, adds.
Source: Tomsk Polytechnic University