Graphene‐polymer nanocomposites for biomedical applications

Abstract

Despite the significant efforts in the synthesis of new polymers, the mechanical properties of polymer matrices can be considered modest in most cases, which limits their application in demanding areas. The isolation of graphene and evaluation of its outstanding properties, such as high thermal conductivity, superior mechanical properties, and high electronic transport, have attracted academic and industrial interest, and opened good perspectives for the integration of graphene as a filler in polymer matrices to form advanced multifunctional composites.Graphene-based nanomaterials have prompted the development of flexible nanocomposites for emerging applications that require superior mechanical, thermal, electrical, optical, and chemical performance. These multifunctional nanocomposites may be tailored to synergistically combine the characteristics of both components if proper structural and interfacial organization is achieved. The investigations carried out in this aim have combined graphene with different polymers, leading to a variety of graphene-based nanocomposites. The extensive research on graphene and its functionalization, as well as polymer graphene composites, aiming at applications in the biomedical field, are reviewed in this paper. An overview of the polymer matrices adequate for the biomedical area and the production techniques of graphene composites is presented. Finally, the applications of such nanocomposites in the biomedical field, particularly in drug delivery, wound healing, and biosensing, are discussed. KEYWORDS biomedical applications, graphene, polymer nanocomposites 1 | INTRODUCTION Polymer nanocomposites are multiphase solid materials formed by 1 or more polymer matrices and nanometric reinforcing phases having 1, 2, or 3 dimensions below 100 nm. 1 Commonly, composite materials involve polymer matrices due to their ease of processing and shaping, and because they present reasonable mechanical properties and allow to control surface and interfacial chemistry. Typical fillers encompass fibers, filaments, flakes, or other particles with high stiffness, or specific properties such as electrical or thermal conductivity, in order to overcome the polymer matrix weaknesses. 2-4 The recent use of nanoscale fillers takes advantage of their large specific area, enhancing the interface between filler and matrix, and reaching superior composite properties at low reinforcement loads. The principle of the fabrication of composite materials is to synergistically combine the strengths of various components and optimize the primary mechanical properties. 2 Thus, the obtained polymer nanocomposites are expected to reach substantial property enhancement, with significant improvement of strength and other specific functional properties (eg, thermal or electrical conductivity), 2,5,6 as well as controlled interfacial interactions. 7Carbon-based nanomaterials (carbon black, exfoliated graphite, carbon nanotubes) have been frequently used in the preparation of polymer composites as reinforcement. The isolati...

Fabrication of random and aligned electrospun nanofibers containing graphene oxide for skeletal muscle cells scaffold

“…The advent of nanotechnology has promoted a new frontier in materials science research with huge possibilities of technological applications owing to the control of molecular chemistry and materials at nanoscale. For instance, graphene oxide (GO) and their nanocomposites are remarkable nanomaterials with appealing mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, allowing them to be applied in optical and electronic devices and sensors .…”

Extrusion of Polymer Nanocomposites with Graphene and Graphene Derivative Nanofillers: An Overview of Recent Developments

“…In recent years, the addition of different types of graphene (G) nanofillers has been attempted as a method to improve the mechanical and functional properties of a variety of thermoplastic matrices [2,3]. Graphene-based composites have demonstrated potential for applications in several technological fields such as energy storage [4,5], environmental applications [6] and biomedical usage [7][8][9].…”

The Comparison between the Osteogenic Differentiation Potential of Clay-Polyacrylonitrile Nanocomposite Scaffold and Graphene-Polyacrylonitrile Scaffold in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…In addition to clay nanoparticle, graphene is interesting for the fabrication of functional nanocomposites because of its high surface-tovolume ratio and excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties [10]. Graphene is a planar carbonbased sheet of sp 2 hybridized carbon atoms that are compactly organized into a 2D hexagonal lattice.…”