Piezoelectric electrospun nanocomposite comprising Au NPs/PVDF for nerve tissue engineering

Abstract

In this study, gold nanoparticles/Polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) composite electrospun mat with enhanced piezoelectricity were fabricated and characterized. Gold colloidal nanoparticles (Au NPs) were prepared via laser ablation of metallic targets in liquid media. The active Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was used as an irradiation source. Then, PVDF was dissolved in Au NPs colloidal solution at 30% wt for the synthesis of Au NPs/PVDF composite nanofibers by electrospinning. The optical absorbance spectra of Au NPS and the polymeric solutions were obtained by the UV-Visible spectroscopy. Moreover, the morphology of Au NPS, nanostructures of fibers and diameter size distribution of nanofibers were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Transmitted Electron Microscopy methods. The crystallinity and piezoelectricity of PVDF and Au NPs/PVDF composite nanofibers mats were measured by X-Ray Diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared methods. Subsequently, in vitro cytocompatibility was evaluated by MTT assay and the attachment and morphology of PC-12 cells cultured on scaffolds were studied. It was found that laser ablated Au NPs can be used in electrospun nanofibers of PVDF with adequate structural properties and increase piezoelectricity of nanofibers which might be suitable for applying as nerve tissue engineering scaffolds. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 1984-1993, 2017.

Effect of electrospinning parameters on morphological properties of PVDF nanofibrous scaffolds

“…The crystalline structure of PVDF polymers indicate α-, β- and γ-phases and each phase has specific diffraction peaks in the 2 θ Bragg angle during XRD measurement (Motamedi et al 2017 ). The XRD pattern of the optimized PVDF nanofibers (sample S14) is shown in Fig.…”

“…Different crystalline phases absorb different infrared wavelengths; thus, FTIR can be used to identify crystalline phases (Motamedi et al 2017 ). The FTIR spectrum of PVDF nanofibers mat is shown in Fig.…”

Development and characterization of ZnO piezoelectric thin films on polymeric substrates for tissue repair

“…Tissue repair strategies hold great promise in the development of functional three‐dimensional scaffolds resembling the structural organization of native tissues to improve or replace biological functions, in case of damage (Motamedi, Mirzadeh, Hajiesmaeilbaigi, Bagheri‐Khoulenjani, & Shokrgozar, ; Ribeiro, Sencadas, Correia, & Lanceros‐Méndez, ). However, currently available scaffolds have shown limited success, as they have been used essentially in a passive way, just as support for the cells and tissues.…”

“…Given this, one of the most interesting effects to be applied in materials for scaffold development is the possibility of endogenous electrical stimulation. Piezoelectric materials are smart materials that can generate electrical stimuli under mechanical solicitation (Jacob et al, ; Motamedi et al, ; Rajabi et al, ; Ribeiro et al, ; Ribeiro, Sencadas, et al, ). These smart materials are widely used in electronic applications, such as transducers and sensors, and have been getting great attention for biomedical applications as well, including tissue repair and regeneration applications, as these materials can utilize functional loads as stimulating factor to regenerate the tissue by effect (Jacob et al, ; Rajabi et al, ).…”

Bio-inspired Flexible Lateral Line Sensor Based on P(VDF-TrFE)/BTO Nanofiber Mat for Hydrodynamic Perception

“…PVDF and its copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] are excellent sensor materials as they provide advantages such as energy conservation, excellent processability, and conformal elasticity [29,30]. The piezoelectricity of the PVDF-based polymers can be improved by incorporating inorganic materials such as ZnO, PZT, barium titanate (BTO), graphene and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) [31][32][33][34][35]. Moreover, electrospinning is an effective way to obtain highly aligned piezoelectric nanofibers with anisotropic piezoelectricity [36].…”