Crystallization Behavior and Morphology of Biodegradable Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Reduced Graphene Oxide Scaffolds
Ikusi/ Ireki
Data
2022-08-24Egilea
Díaz Tajada, Esperanza
Mendivil, Ainhoa
León, Joseba
Biomimetics 7(3) : (2022) // Article ID 116
Laburpena
Morphology, thermal properties and the non-isothermal melt crystallization kinetics of biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) scaffolds are studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at various cooling rates (5, 10, 15 and 20 °C/min). Thermally induced phase separation was used to manufacture the scaffolds (TIPS). The micrographs show a more homogeneous and defined morphology with larger pores and thicker pore walls. The melting temperature (Tm), melting enthalpy (ΔHm), crystallization enthalpy (ΔHc) and degree of crystallinity (Xc) increased with the addition of rGO, suggesting larger and more perfect crystalline structures. The degree of crystallinity increased with the presence of rGO. The crystallization peak shifted to higher temperatures as the rGO concentration increased independently of the cooling rates. The peak shifted to lower temperatures as the cooling rate increased with the same rGO composition. The values of t1/2 (time needed to reach 50% crystallization) were lower for scaffolds with rGO. The values of the crystallization rate coefficient were higher when the porous support contained rGO, which indicates that their crystallization systems are faster. The activation energy obtained with the Kissinger method decreased with the presence of rGO. The results indicate that reduced graphene oxide acts as a nucleating agent in the non-isothermal melt crystallization process. The addition of small quantities of rGO changes their thermal properties with which they can be modified for application in the field of tissue engineering.
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Bestelakorik adierazi ezean, itemaren baimena horrela deskribatzen da:© 2022 by the authors.Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).