Mechanical characterization of high performance graphene oxide incorporated aligned fibro porous polycarbonate urethane membrane for potential biomedical applications
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Date
2015-04
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Journal of Applied Polymer Science
Abstract
In this article, we report the development of graphene oxide (GO) reinforced electrospun poly(carbonate urethane)
(PCU) nanocomposite membranes intended for biomedical applications. In this study, we aimed to improve the mechanical properties
of PCU fibroporous electrospun membranes through fiber alignment and GO incorporation. Membranes with 1, 1.5, and 3%
loadings of GO were evaluated for their morphology, mechanical properties, crystallinity, biocompatibility, and hemocompatibility.
The mechanical properties were assessed under both static and dynamic conditions to explore the tensile characteristics and viscoelastic
properties. The results show that GO presented a good dispersion and exfoliation in the PCU matrix, contributing to an
increase in the mechanical performance. The static mechanical properties indicated a 55% increase in the tensile strength, a 127%
increase in toughness for 1.5 wt % GO loading and the achievement of a maximum strength reinforcement efficiency value at the
same loading. Crystallinity changes in membranes were examined by X-ray diffraction analysis. In vitro cytotoxicity tests with L-929
fibroblast cells and percentage hemolysis tests with fresh venous blood displayed the membranes to be cytocompatible with acceptable
levels of hemolytic characteristics. Accordingly, these results highlight the potential of this mechanically improved composite membrane’s
application in the biomedical field
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Keywords
biomedical applications; composites; electrospinning; mechanical properties; membranes
Citation
Thampi S, Muthuvijayan V, Ramesh P. Mechanical characterization of high performance graphene oxide incorporated aligned fibro porous polycarbonate urethane membrane for potential biomedical applications. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 2015;132:41809