In this work, chitosan/gelatin (Ch/G) aerogels with a network organization were produced by supercritical gel drying. Ch structure was characterized by a cellular morphology with smooth pore walls, with a mean pore size of about 20 µm. The morphology of G aerogel was, instead, nanofibrous with a mean fiber size lower than 100 nm. The mixture between Ch and G favored Ch gelification, due to the chemical interaction among the cationic Ch and negatively charged molecules of G. Ch/G hybrid aerogels formed an interpenetrated polymer network, with enhanced mechanical properties with respect to the starting single biopolymers, achieving a Young modulus up to 181 kPa, suitable for bone tissue engineering. Moreover, high surface area (≈250 m2 g−1) and negligible glutaraldehyde (GTA) residues were found after supercritical processing; in particular, the GTA residues in the aerogels were lower than 3 ppm, also in the worst case (i.e., 2.3 ppm of released GTA for the Ch/G 4/1 aerogel), making them useful for potential nanomedicine applications.

Nanostructured chitosan–gelatin hybrid aerogels produced by supercritical gel drying

Baldino L.;CARDEA, Stefano
;
Reverchon E.
2018-01-01

Abstract

In this work, chitosan/gelatin (Ch/G) aerogels with a network organization were produced by supercritical gel drying. Ch structure was characterized by a cellular morphology with smooth pore walls, with a mean pore size of about 20 µm. The morphology of G aerogel was, instead, nanofibrous with a mean fiber size lower than 100 nm. The mixture between Ch and G favored Ch gelification, due to the chemical interaction among the cationic Ch and negatively charged molecules of G. Ch/G hybrid aerogels formed an interpenetrated polymer network, with enhanced mechanical properties with respect to the starting single biopolymers, achieving a Young modulus up to 181 kPa, suitable for bone tissue engineering. Moreover, high surface area (≈250 m2 g−1) and negligible glutaraldehyde (GTA) residues were found after supercritical processing; in particular, the GTA residues in the aerogels were lower than 3 ppm, also in the worst case (i.e., 2.3 ppm of released GTA for the Ch/G 4/1 aerogel), making them useful for potential nanomedicine applications.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11386/4720970
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