Biodegradable free-standing nanomembranes of conducting polymer:polyester blends as bioactive platforms for tissue engineering

Abstract

The present study reports the fabrication of free-standing nanomembranes with semiconducting and biodegradable properties. Nanomembranes have been prepared by spin-coating mixtures of a semiconducting polythiophene derivative, poly(3-thiophene methyl acetate), and a biodegradable polyester, poly(tetramethylene succinate). Both the roughness and thickness of the nanomembranes, which ranged from 3 to 20 nm and from 20 to 80 nm, respectively, were precisely controlled through the spin-coater speed and the solvent evaporation properties. Nanomembranes made of conducting polymer/polyester blends, which are able to retain the properties of the individual polymers, are stable in air and in ethanol solution for more than one year, facilitating their manipulation. Enzymatic degradation essays indicated that the ultra-thin films are biodegradable due to the presence of the aliphatic polyester. Interestingly, adhesion and proliferation assays with epithelial cells revealed that the behavior of the blend as cellular matrix is superior to that of the two individual polymers, validating the use of the nanomembranes as bioactive substrates for tissue regeneration.

Nanoperforations in poly(lactic acid) free-standing nanomembranes to promote interactions with cell filopodia

“…FsNMs were prepared by applying the procedure described by Kunitake and coworkers [13], which was successfully used in previous works [6,7,14]. Firstly, a PVA solution in milliQ water (100 mg/mL) was spin-coated onto a glass slip, cleaned by successive sonication in acetone, ethanol, and water, at 2500 rpm for 60 s to obtain a sacrificial layer.…”

Semiconducting, biodegradable and bioactive fibers for drug delivery

“…acetate) P3TMA was synthesized by chemical oxidative coupling polymerization in dry chloroform following the procedure described by Kim et al [34], which was successfully used in previous works [22][23][24][25]. Anhydrous ferric chloride (FeCl 3 ) was used as both oxidant and dopant.…”

“…For example, such group studied the degradability and cytotoxicity of blends made of caprolactone and hyperbranched degradable CPs as good candidates for neural tissue engineering application [21]. More recently, freestanding nanomembranes for tissue regeneration were prepared by spin-coating mixtures of polyester [22,23] or thermoplastic polyurethane [24] with a soluble polythiophene derivative, poly(3-thiophene methyl acetate) (P3TMA). The same approach has also been used to fabricate electroactive biodegradable 3D scaffolds.…”

Sensitive thermal transitions of nanoscale polymer samples using the bimetallic effect: Application to ultra-thin polythiophene

“…Thus, P3TMA was combined with a biodegrable polyester to prepare semiconducting nanomembranes (i.e., thickness from 20 to 80 nm) that were used as bioactive platforms for tissue engineering. 31,32 Furthermore, P3TMA dispersed as nanoparticles was found to be a powerful anticorrosive additive of organic coating, showing better protecting abilities than zinc phosphate compounds. 33 As a result, this material was patented for its application as anticorrosive pigment to low volatile organic compounds (VOC) solvent-based epoxy and alkyd formulations.…”