Synthesis and characterization of poly(3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) coated polylactide/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3- hydroxyvalerate) electrospun membranes

Abstract

Biomaterials based scaffolds or membranes fabricated from electrospinning with suitable properties are highly desired in tissue engineering. Blending o f natural polymer with synthetic polymer allows the modulation o f properties to produce membranes for tissue engineering. Recently, conductive polymers have gained great attention in research due to their conductive properties, which can stimulate tissue regeneration. In this study, composite membrane was fabricated by blending a synthetic polymer, polylactic acid (PLA) and a natural polymer, poly(3- hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) using electrospinning technique. PLA/PHBV electrospun membranes were dipped into PEDOT:PSS solution to prepare conductive membranes. It was observed that electrospinning of 20 % (w/v) PLA/PHBV with the weight ratio of 50:50 in chloroform solvent produced the most uniform fibers with no beads. The coated and uncoated membranes were evaluated using several techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), water contact angle (WCA), attenuated total reflectance (ATR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The measured electrical conductivity of the 30 % PEDOT:PSS coated PLA/PHBV was 1.45 pS/m. Also, the surface roughness and wettability of the PEDOT:PSS coated PLA/PHBV membranes were greater than the uncoated membranes. Based on the results of the cells viability of human skin fibroblast (HSF) using 3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, cell attachment and cell proliferation, the conductive PEDOT:PSS-coated PLA/PHBV membranes were found to be more favorable for tissue engineering application than the uncoated membranes. Antibacterial evaluation also showed that tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH)-coated membrane possess antibacterial properties. In conclusion, conductive PEDOT:PSS coated membrane that has the potential to be used in tissue engineering application was successfully fabricated and characterized.