Novel electro-conductive nanocomposites based on electrospun PLGA/CNT for biomedical applications

Electro-conductive nanocomposites have several applications in biomedical field. Development of a biocompatible electro-conductive polymeric materials is therefore of prime importance. In this study, electro-conductive nanofibrous mats of PLGA/CNT were fabricated through different methods including blend electrospinning, simultaneous PLGA electrospinning and CNT electrospraying and ultrasound-induced adsorption of CNTs on the electrospun PLGA nanofibers. The morphology and diameter of fibers were characterized by SEM and TEM, showing the lowest average diameters of 477136nm for PLGA/MWCNT blend nanocomposites. MWCNT-sprayed PLGA specimens showed significant lower water contact angle (83 degrees), electrical resistance (3.0x10(4)) and higher mechanical properties (UTS: 5.50 +/- 0.46MPa) compared to the untreated PLGA scaffolds. Also, results of PC12 cell study demonstrated highest viability percentage on the MWCNT-sprayed PLGA nanofibers. We propose that the conductive nanocomposites have capability to use as tool for the neural regeneration and biosensors. [GRAPHICS] .