Effects of multi-wall carbon nanotubes on structural and mechanical properties of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/chitosan electrospun scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

Abstract

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/chitosan electrospun scaffold was recently prepared for cartilage tissue engineering purpose. The drawback of this scaffold was its low mechanical properties. This study was carried out to see if addition of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) to PHB/chitosan polymeric blend can show better mechanical and structural properties. To do this, three different amounts of MWNTs (0.5, 0.75 and 1 wt%) were added to PHB/chitosan solution. Then, the prepared solution was electrospun. The fibre’s diameter and uniformity were assessed by SEM. The solution components entity authenticity was approved by FTIR. The porosity assessment was illustrated by a porous structure with 81–83% porosity. Water contact angle (WCA) test showed the decrease in contact angle with the increase in MWNTs. Mechanical property results showed the strength of about 4–10 MPa for composites with different percentages of MWNTs, while PHB/chitosan showed the strength of 3 MPa. Actually, the mechanical properties of composite showed higher values when compared to polymeric blend scaffold. All the results reveal that the addition of 1 wt% of MWNTs to the polymeric solution is the most optimal percentage whose values are close to cartilage properties.