Preparation and characterization of hybrid nanofibrous polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

Abstract

This paper endeavours towards the scientific study of infusion of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) into biodegradable polymer scaffold for bone tissue engineering. Highly biocompatible Ag NPs have been synthesized using chitosan as stabilizing and reducing agent. The synthesized Ag NPs have been uniformly suspended in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) solution and nanofibrous mat like scaffolds have been fabricated using electrospinning process. The proposed process of infusing Ag NPs in PVA/SA medium resulted in nanofibers of smaller diameter and reduced pore size resulted in high surface area which is due to electrostatic charge interaction of Ag NPs during electrospinning. Thus, the improved surface area has facilitated better growth of extracellular matrix (ECM) compared to traditional coating method. The effect of coating nanoparticles on prepared polymeric scaffolds proves less than infusion of nanoparticles prior to electrospinning.