Processable conducting graphene/chitosan hydrogels for tissue engineering.

Composites of graphene in a chitosan-lactic acid matrix were prepared to create conductive hydrogels that are processable, exhibit tunable swelling properties and show excellent biocompatibility. The addition of graphene to the polymer matrix also resulted in significant improvements to the mechanical strength of the hydrogels, with the addition of just 3 wt% graphene resulting in tensile strengths increasing by over 200%. The composites could be easily processed into three-dimensional scaffolds with finely controlled dimensions using additive fabrication techniques and fibroblast cells demonstrate good adhesion and growth on their surfaces. These chitosan-graphene composites show great promise for use as conducting substrates for the growth of electro-responsive cells in tissue engineering.

[1]  Gordon G. Wallace,et al.  Covalently linked biocompatible graphene/polycaprolactone composites for tissue engineering , 2013 .

[2]  K. Marsh,et al.  Characteristics of Different Molecular Weight Chitosan Films Affected by the Type of Organic Solvents , 2002 .

[3]  T. Yui,et al.  A new polymorph of chitosan , 1984 .

[4]  J. Suh,et al.  Application of chitosan-based polysaccharide biomaterials in cartilage tissue engineering: a review. , 2000, Biomaterials.

[5]  Jing Xu,et al.  In vitro toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in C6 rat glioma cells. , 2012, Neurotoxicology.

[6]  Y. Baimark,et al.  Preparation and characterization of highly flexible chitosan films for use as food packaging. , 2009 .

[7]  Anran Liu,et al.  Electrically conductive and mechanically strong biomimetic chitosan/reduced graphene oxide composite films , 2010 .

[8]  P. J. Ollivier,et al.  Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Ultrathin Composite Films from Micron-Sized Graphite Oxide Sheets and Polycations , 1999 .

[9]  M. Suh,et al.  The control of neural cell-to-cell interactions through non-contact electrical field stimulation using graphene electrodes. , 2011, Biomaterials.

[10]  Carlos A. Cardona,et al.  Novel chitosan membranes as support for lipases immobilization: Characterization aspects , 2010 .

[11]  A. Khademhosseini,et al.  Cell‐laden Microengineered and Mechanically Tunable Hybrid Hydrogels of Gelatin and Graphene Oxide , 2013, Advanced materials.

[12]  Guoping Chen,et al.  Scaffold Design for Tissue Engineering , 2002 .

[13]  Lifeng Yan,et al.  Preparation of chitosan/graphene oxide composite film with enhanced mechanical strength in the wet state , 2011 .

[14]  G. Wallace,et al.  Anhydrous organic dispersions of highly reduced chemically converted graphene , 2014 .

[15]  C. Rha,et al.  Mechanical properties of chitosan films: Effect of solvent acid , 1982 .

[16]  Zhanhu Guo,et al.  Graphene oxide cross-linked chitosan nanocomposite membrane , 2013 .

[17]  Xiaoming Yang,et al.  Well-dispersed chitosan/graphene oxide nanocomposites. , 2010, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[18]  A. Geim,et al.  Graphene: Exploring carbon flatland , 2007 .

[19]  Shuk Han Cheng,et al.  Influence of carbon nanotube length on toxicity to zebrafish embryos , 2012, International journal of nanomedicine.

[20]  M. Rinaudo,et al.  Chitin and chitosan: Properties and applications , 2006 .

[21]  Seok-In Hong,et al.  Preparation and characterization of chitosan-based nanocomposite films with antimicrobial activity. , 2006, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[22]  Xiaoyong Song,et al.  Antimicrobial, physical and mechanical properties of kudzu starch–chitosan composite films as a function of acid solvent types , 2011 .

[23]  P. Atanassov,et al.  Conductive macroporous composite chitosan-carbon nanotube scaffolds. , 2008, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[24]  G. Wallace,et al.  Processable aqueous dispersions of graphene nanosheets. , 2008, Nature nanotechnology.

[25]  W. Marsden.  I and J , 2012 .

[26]  Moon Gyu Sung,et al.  Enhanced Differentiation of Human Neural Stem Cells into Neurons on Graphene , 2011, Advanced materials.

[27]  Kaiming Ye,et al.  Tailored carbon nanotubes for tissue engineering applications , 2009, Biotechnology progress.

[28]  L. Lim,et al.  Poly(Lactic Acid): Synthesis, Structures, Properties, Processing, and Applications , 2010 .

[29]  M. Dresselhaus,et al.  Studying disorder in graphite-based systems by Raman spectroscopy. , 2007, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[30]  B. Peppley,et al.  Synthesis, Characterization and Ionic Conductive Properties of Phosphorylated Chitosan Membranes , 2003 .

[31]  N. Peppas,et al.  Structure and Interactions in Covalently and Ionically Crosslinked Chitosan Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications , 2003 .

[32]  Ashutosh Sharma,et al.  Vertical electric field stimulated neural cell functionality on porous amorphous carbon electrodes. , 2013, Biomaterials.

[33]  Li Li,et al.  A review on biodegradable polymeric materials for bone tissue engineering applications , 2009 .

[34]  Aaas News,et al.  Book Reviews , 1893, Buffalo Medical and Surgical Journal.

[35]  Yiying Wu,et al.  Electrocatalytic Activity of Graphene Multilayers toward I-/I3-: Effect of Preparation Conditions and Polyelectrolyte Modification , 2010 .

[36]  Zhaoxia Jin,et al.  Fabrication, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility of graphene-reinforced chitosan composites. , 2010, Biomacromolecules.

[37]  C. N. R. Rao,et al.  Graphene, the new nanocarbon , 2009 .

[38]  Kian Ping Loh,et al.  The chemistry of graphene , 2010 .

[39]  J. Tour,et al.  Injectable nanocomposites of single-walled carbon nanotubes and biodegradable polymers for bone tissue engineering. , 2006, Biomacromolecules.

[40]  Lin Li,et al.  Green fabrication of chitosan films reinforced with parallel aligned graphene oxide , 2011 .

[41]  M. Hanna,et al.  Properties of Chitosan Films as a Function of pH and Solvent Type , 2006 .

[42]  L. Casettari,et al.  Biomedical applications of amino acid-modified chitosans: a review. , 2012, Biomaterials.

[43]  Wei Wang,et al.  High strength graphene oxide/polyvinyl alcohol composite hydrogels , 2011 .

[44]  G. Wallace,et al.  Extrusion Printed Graphene/Polycaprolactone/Composites for Tissue Engineering , 2013 .