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Polymer-based scaffolds have already gained popularity in many biomedical applications due to convenient routes for fabrication and favourable structural, physicochemical and functional characteristics. However, polymeric scaffolds lack osteoconductivity and some synthetic polymers carry the risk of inflammatory response caused by degradation by-products. Those facts limit their practical use in bone tissue engineering. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds from naturally derived polymer, namely regenerated cellulose, were prepared using a non-hydrolytic sol-gel and lyophilization techniques. To induce osteoconductive properties of the polymeric scaffolds, cuttlebone microparticles were immobilized and the surface coating was achieved via in vitro mineralization using 10-fold concentrated simulated body fluid (10x SBF). Biogenic activity of cuttlebone is explained by its chemical composition, which includes polysaccharide β-chitin and macro-, micro- and trace elements favourable for mineralization. Parallel the scaffolds were examined during long-term (24 weeks) in vitro mineralization in 1x SBF for the purpose to investigate apatite-forming ability of the scaffolds. A nice cauliflower-like structures and needle-like dents of the spherical aggregates, which are characteristic to hydroxyapatite precursors, were observed on the surface of cellulose/cuttlebone scaffolds by SEM. 10x SBF coating enhanced cell attachment to the scaffolds because SBF elements are known to increase bioactivity by inducing re-deposition of carbonate apatite crystallites on scaffold surface. Additionally, calcium and phosphate depositions were clearly observed on the developed scaffolds using von Kossa and Alizarin Red S staining. Proliferative and osteoconductive effects on the osteoblast-like MG-63 cells demonstrate the cellulose/cuttlebone scaffolds soaked in 10x SBF as a favourable material for bone tissue engineering.

Abstract In this study, Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) were produced from post-consumer bulky wastes of recycled plastic and wood in order to minimize waste, decrease environmental effects of plastics, reserve natural resources, and support circular economy for sustainable production and consumption. Five different types of polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) based recycled plastics and wood obtained from urban household bulky wastes were used in the production of recycled WPC composites, r-WPCs. Virgin WPC (v-WPC) and r-WPC compounds were prepared with wood flour (WF) and maleic anhydride grafted compatibilizer (MAPP or MAPE) to evaluate the effect of recycled polymer type and compatibilizer on the mechanical properties. It was found that tensile strength properties of r-WPCs produced from recycled PP (r-PP) were higher than that of the r-WPCs produced from mixed polyolefins and recycled PE. r-WPCs containing anti-oxidants, UV stabilizers, and compatibilizer with different WF compositions were produced from only recycled garden fraction PP (PPFGF) to determine the optimum composition and processing temperature for pilot scale manufacturing of r-WPCs. Based on tensile, impact, flexural, and water sorption properties of r-WPC compounds with different formulations, the optimum conditions of r-WPC compounds for industrial manufacturing process were determined. Surface morphology of fractured surfaces as well as tensile, flexural and density results of r-WPC compounds revealed the enhancement effect of MAPP on interfacial adhesion in r-WPCs. r-WPC products (crates and table/chair legs) based on bulky wastes were produced using an injection molding process at industrial scale by using 30 wt% WF-filled r-WPC compound. This study demonstrated that r-WPC compounds from recycled bulky plastic and wood wastes can be used as a potential raw material in plastic as well as WPC industry, contributing to circular economy. Graphic Abstract

PubMed: 31622724, POSS, regarded as the smallest silica particle, is widely used as nanofiller in polymer systems. POSS-based nanocomposites are deduced as novel materials having potency for biomedical applications owing to the enhanced biocompatibility and physicochemical characteristics. The aim of this work was to integrate the beneficial features of chitosan (CS) and OctaTMA-POSS nanoparticle to design nanocomposite for bone tissue regeneration. The nanocomposite scaffolds were fabricated by freeze-drying. The effects of POSS incorporation on morphology and structure of CS matrix were examined. Bioactivity and osteogenic effects of the POSS nanoparticles were investigated with cytocompatibility, cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin production and biomineralization assays. PUSS incorporation altered the surface morphology by increasing surface roughness. Nanocomposite scaffolds with 82-90% porosity exhibited an increase in compression modulus of scaffolds (78-107 kPa) compared to control CS group (56 kPa). Results indicated that CS-POSS scaffolds were found cytocompatible with 3T3, MG-63 and Saos-2 cell lines. POSS incorporation showed promising effects on osteoblast adhesion and proliferation as well as increasing ALP activity, octeocalcin secretion and biomineralization of cells. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biobased extracts comprise various bioactive components and they are widely used in tissue engineering applications to increase bioactivity as well as physical characteristics of biomaterials. Among animal sources, garden snail Helix aspersa has come into prominence with its antibacterial and regenerative extracts and show potential in tissue regeneration. Thus, in this study, bioactive H. aspersa extracts (slime, mucus) were loaded in chitosan (CHI) matrix to fabricate porous scaffolds for hard tissue regeneration. Physical, chemical properties, antimicrobial activity was determined as well as in vitro bioactivity for bone and cartilage regeneration. Mucus and slime incorporation enhanced mechanical properties and biodegradation rate of CHI matrix. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the average pore size of the scaffolds decreased with higher extract content. Mucus and slime extracts showed antimicrobial effect on two bacterial strains. In vitro cytotoxicity, osteogenic and chondrogenic activity of the scaffolds were evaluated with Saos-2 and SW1353 cell lines in terms of Alkaline phosphatase activity, biomineralization, GAG, COMP and hydroxyproline content. Cell viability results showed that extracts had a proliferative effect on Saos-2 and SW1353 cells when compared to the control group. Mucus and slime extract loading increased osteogenic and chondrogenic activity. Thus, the bioactive extract loaded CHI scaffolds showed potential for bone and cartilage regeneration with enhanced physical properties and in vitro bioactivity.

Recently, functional multilayer scaffolds with controlled drug release ability come into prominence for wound healing applications to mimic the layered structure of skin tissue and prevent the possible infections at the defect site. In this study, controlled antibiotic releasing zein bilayer membranes were fabricated for treatment of acute skin infections. Gentamicin loaded fibers were prepared by electrospinning on the membrane surface. Membranes were characterized with scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle, mechanical analysis, swelling, degradation, and water vapor permeability studies. In vitro cytotoxicity, cell attachment, and proliferation were investigated. Cell attachment on fiber layer was observed with fluorescence imaging. Fabricated fibers showed structural similarity to the skin tissue layers with a fiber diameter range of 350-425 nm and film thickness in the range of 311-361 μm. Mechanical properties were found compatible with the skin tissue. In addition, membranes showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The sustained release was achieved with a cumulative release of 94%. Membranes did not show any cytotoxic effect. NIH/3T3 and HS2 cell lines were proliferated on each layer mimicking the multilayer skin tissue. Hence, zein-based bilayer membrane showed promising properties to be used as a potential antimicrobial wound dressing for skin tissue regeneration. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 2057-2070, 2019.

Recently, usage of marine-derived materials in biomedical field has come into prominence due to their promising characteristics such as biocompatibility, low immunogenicity and wide accessibility. Among these marine sources, cuttlebone has been used as a valuable component with its trace elemental composition in traditional medicine. Recent studies have focused on the use of cuttlebone as a bioactive agent for tissue engineering applications. In this study, hydroxyapatite particles were obtained by hydrothermal synthesis of cuttlebone and incorporated to cellulose scaffolds to fabricate an osteoconductive composite scaffold for bone regeneration. Elemental analysis of raw cuttlebone material from different coastal zones and cuttlebone-derived HAp showed that various macro-, micro- and trace elements – Ca, P, Na, Mg, Cu, Sr, Cl, K, S, Br, Fe and Zn were found in a very similar amount. Moreover, biologically unfavorable heavy metals, such as Ag, Cd, Pb or V, were not detected in any cuttlebone specimen. Carbonated hydroxyapatite particle was further synthesized from cuttlebone microparticles via hydrothermal treatment and used as a mineral filler for the preparation of cellulose-based composite scaffolds. Interconnected highly porous structure of the scaffolds was confirmed by micro-computed tomography. The mean pore size of the scaffolds was 510 µm with a porosity of 85%. The scaffolds were mechanically characterized with a compression test and cuttlebone-derived HAp incorporation enhanced the mechanical properties of cellulose scaffolds. In vitro cell culture studies indicated that MG-63 cells proliferated well on scaffolds. In addition, cuttlebone-derived hydroxyapatite significantly induced the ALP activity and osteocalcin secretion. Besides, HAp incorporation increased the surface mineralization which is the major step for bone tissue regeneration.

Medicinal plants are attracting considerable interest as a potential therapeutic agent for bone tissue regeneration. Cissus quadrangularis L. is also a medicinal plant known with its osteogenic activity. In this study, a phytochemical scaffold was produced by incorporating Cissus quadrangularis with chitosan/Na-carboxymethyl cellulose blend by lyophilization technique. The effect of Cissus quadrangularis loading on the mechanical, morphological, chemical, and degradation properties as well as in vitro cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, and differentiation of the composites was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that porous Cissus quadrangularis–loaded scaffolds were obtained with an average pore size of 148–209 µm which is appropriate for bone regeneration. Cissus quadrangularis incorporation enhanced the compression modulus of scaffolds from 76 to 654 kPa. In vitro cell culture results indicated that Cissus quadrangularis/chitosan/Na-carboxymethyl cellulose scaffolds provided a favorable substrate for the osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, and mineralization. Results supported the osteoinductive property of the Cissus quadrangularis extract–incorporated scaffolds even without osteogenic media supplement. Cissus quadrangularis extract increased the alkaline phosphatase activity of the SaOS-2 cells on scaffolds on 7th and 14th days of incubation. The investigation of characterization and cell culture studies suggest that Cissus quadrangularis–loaded osteoinductive Cissus quadrangularis/chitosan/Na-carboxymethyl cellulose scaffold can serve as a potential biomaterial for bone tissue engineering applications.

Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) is a widely used process for the treatment of periodontal defects to prevent the formation of surrounding soft tissue at the periodontal defect and to provide hard tissue regeneration. Recently GBR designs have focused on the development of resorbable natural polymer-based barrier membranes due to their biodegradability and excellent biocompatibility. The aim of this study is to fabricate a novel bilayer nanocomposite membrane with microporous sublayer composed of chitosan and Si doped nanohydroxyapatite particles (Si-nHap) and chitosan/PEO nanofiber upper layer. Bilayer membrane was designed to prevent epithelial and fibroblastic cell migration and growth impeding bone formation with its upper layer and to support osteogenic cell bioactivity at the defect site with its sublayer. Microporous and nanofiber layers were fabricated by using freeze-drying and electrospinning techniques respectively. The effect of Si-nHap content on the morphological, mechanical and physical properties of the composites were investigated using SEM, AFM, micro-Ct, compression test, water uptake capacity and enzymatic degradation study. Antimicrobial properties of nanocomposite membranes were investigated with tube dilution and disk diffusion methods. In vitro cytotoxicity of bilayer membranes was evaluated. Saos-2 and NIH/3T3 proliferation studies were carried out on each layer. In vitro bioactivity of Saos-2 and NIH/3T3 cells were evaluated with ALP activity and hydroxyproline content respectively. Results showed that Si-nHap incorporation enhanced the mechanical and physical properties as well as controlling biodegradability of the polymer matrix. Besides, Si-nHap loading induced the bioactivity of Saos-2 cells by enhancing cell attachment, spreading and biomineralization on the material surface. Thus, results supported that designed bilayer nanocomposite membranes can be used as a potential biomaterial for guided bone regeneration in periodontal applications.

In this study, natural silica source, diatomite, incorporated novel chitosan based composite membranes were fabricated and characterized for bone tissue engineering applications as possible bone regeneration membrane. The effect of diatomite loading on the mechanical, morphological, chemical, thermal and surface properties, wettability and in vitro cytotoxicity and cell proliferation on of composite membranes were investigated and observed by tensile test, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), protein adsorption assay, air/water contact angle analysis and WST-1 respectively. Swelling studies were also performed by water absorption capacity determination. Results showed that incorporation of diatomite to the chitosan matrix increased the surface roughness, swelling capacity and tensile modulus of membranes. An increase of about 52% in Young's modulus was achieved for 10 wt% diatomite composite membranes compared with chitosan membranes. High cell viability results were obtained with indirect extraction method. Besides, in vitro cell proliferation and ALP activity results showed that diatom incorporation significantly increased the ALP activity of Saos-2 cells cultured on chitosan membranes. The novel composite membranes prepared in the present study with tunable properties can be considered as a potential candidate as a scaffold in view of its enhanced physical & chemical properties as well as biological activities for bone tissue engineering applications., Scientific Research Project of Izmir Institute of Technology (2011 IYTE02)

Polymer nanocomposites, based on bacterial biodegradable thermoplastic polyester, poly(hydroxy-butyrate) (PHB), poly(hydroxyl-butyrate-co-hydroxy-valerate) (PHBHV), and commercial organo-modified montmorillonite (OMMT-Cloisite 10A) were prepared by solution casting method. This work aims to investigate the effect of Cloisite 10A type clay addition on the water vapour permeability properties of PHB/OMMT, and PHBHV/OMMT nanobiocomposite films. Temperature dependence of water vapor permeabilities of the films were also evaluated at various temperatures, and semi empirical permeability models were used to predict the permeability of polymer systems as a function of clay concentration and aspect ratio of nanoplates. Moreover, thermal, optical, and mechanical properties of the composites were examined by using varieties of techniques including differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and thin-film X-ray diffractometer (TF-XRD) respectively. Test results indicated that addition of highly intergallery swollen Cloisite 10A to the PHB/PHBHV, reduced the water vapor permeability up to 41 and 25% compared to native PHB and PHBHV films, respectively. Regarding the all mechanical properties measured, the maximum improvement was achieved for 3 wt% clay loaded samples for both PHB and PHBHV polymer composites. An increase of about 152 and 73% in tensile strength and of 77 and 18% in strain at break was achieved for PHB and PHBHV polymers, respectively. As a result of X-ray diffraction analysis, exfoliated structure was achieved at low clay loaded sample (1% w/w), however at higher concentration (3% w/w) the structure found as intercalated. Therefore, it is an evident that enhancement of characteristic properties highly depend on the dispersion level of clay particles in polymer matrix. The results obtained in this study show the feasibility of improvement of the properties of PHB based polymers with incorporation of nanoclay., National Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK 108M335)

Recently, biologically active natural macromolecules have come into prominence to be used as potential materials in scaffold design due to their unique characteristics which can mimic the human tissue structure with their physical and chemical similarity. Among them, fish scale (FS) is a biologically active material with its structural similarity to bone tissue due to including type I collagen and hydroxyapatite and also have distinctive collagen arrangement. In the present study, it is aimed to design a novel composite scaffold with FS incorporation into chitosan (CH) matrix for bone tissue regeneration. Therefore, two biological macromolecules, fish scale and chitosan, were combined to produce bio-composite scaffold. First, FS were decellularized with the chemical method and disrupted physically as microparticles (100 in), followed by dispersal in CH with ultrasonic homogenisation, CH/FS scaffolds were fabricated by lyophilization technique. Scaffolds were characterized physically, chemically, mechanically, and morphologically. SEM and porosity results showed that CH/FS scaffolds have uniform pore structure showing high porosity. Mechanical properties and degradation rate are enhanced with increasing FS content. In vitro cytotoxicity, proliferation and osteogenic activity of the scaffolds were evaluated with SaOS-2 cell line. CH/FS scaffolds did not show any cytotoxicity effect and the cells were gradually proliferated during culture period. Cell viability results showed that, FS microparticles had a proliferative effect on SaOS-2 cells when compared to control group. ALP activity and biomineralization studies indicated that FS micro particle reinforcement increased osteogenic activity during culture period. As a biological macromolecule with unique characteristics, FS was found as cytocompatible and provided promising effects as reinforcement agents for polymeric scaffolds. In conclusion, fabricated CH/FS bio-composites showed potential for bone tissue engineering applications. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This chapter focuses on the preparation and properties of biobased polymer nanocomposites composed of layered silicates as nanofiller. It discusses the preparation and characterization methods of biodegradable polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites. The chapter presents the mechanical, thermal and optical properties of Cloisite 10 A incorporated biodegradable polymers, poly(hydroxy-butyrate), poly(hydroxyl-butyrate-co-hydroxy-valerate) (PHBHV), polylactic acid, Corn zein (CZ) by considering structural importance of the layered silicates within the polymer matrix. Organophilic montmorillonite (OMMT) acted as a nucleating agent in the PHBHV matrix, which increases the nucleation and over-all crystallization rate of nanocomposites. Incorporation of OMMT by solution intercalation into zein matrix significantly improved oxygen and water vapor barrier of coated polypropylene (PP) films. The color change in Corn zein nanocomposite coating on PP films was investigated and found that CZ coating layers have slight effect on total color change. The most significant effect of total color change was reported by the yellowness index b.

Osteochondral tissue is hard to regenerate after injuries or degenerative diseases. Traditional treatments still have disadvantages, such as donor tissue availability, donor site morbidity, implant loss, and limited durability of prosthetics. Thus, recent studies have focused on tissue engineering strategies to regenerate osteochondral defects with different scaffold designs. Scaffolds have been developed from monolayer structures to bilayer scaffolds to repair the cartilage-bone interface and to support each tissue separately. In this study, Si-substituted nano-hydroxyapatite particles (Si-nHap) and silica-based POSS nanocages were used as reinforcements in different polymer layers to mimic a cartilage-bone tissue interface. Chitosan and zein, which are widely used biopolymers, are used as polymer layers to mimic the structure. This study reports the development of a bilayer scaffold produced via fabrication of two different nanocomposite layers with different polymer-inorganic composites in order to satisfy the complex and diverse regenerative requirements of osteochondral tissue. The chitosan/Si-nHap microporous layer and the zein/POSS nanofiber layer were designed to mimic a bone-cartilage tissue interface. Bilayer scaffolds were characterized with SEM, compression, swelling, and biodegradation tests to determine morphological, physical, and mechanical properties. The results showed that the bilayer scaffold had a structure composed of microporous and nanofiber layers joined at a continuous interface with appropriate mechanical properties. Furthermore, in vitro cell culture studies have been performed with LDH, proliferation, fluorescence imaging, and ALP activity assays using osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma cell lines. ALP expression levels provide a good illustration of the improved osteogenic potential of a porous chitosan/Si-nHap layer due to the Si-doped nHap incorporation. Histological data showed that both fiber and porous layers that mimic the cartilage and bone sections exhibit homogeneous cell distribution and matrix formation. Histochemical staining was used to determine the cell proliferation and ECM formation on each layer. In vitro studies indicated that zein-POSS/chitosan/Si-nHap nanocomposite bilayer scaffolds showed promising results for osteochondral regeneration.

Recently, layered structures composed of nanofibers have gained attention as a novel material to mimic skin tissue in wound healing applications. The aim of this study is to develop a novel hybrid bilayer material composed of zein based composite film and nanofiber layers as a wound dressing material. The upper layer was composed of H. perforatum oil incorporated zein film including MMT and the bottom layer was comprised of 3D electrospun zein/MMT nanofibers to induce wound healing with the controlled release of H. perforatum oil. The bilayer composites were characterized in terms of mechanical test, WVP, water uptake and surface wettability. Antimicrobial activity of the wound dressings against microorganisms were investigated by disc diffusion method. In vitro cytotoxicity of monolayer film and bilayer structure was performed using WST-1 assay on HS2 keratinocyte and 3T3 cell lines. Results indicated that the prepared monolayer films showed appropriate mechanical and gas barrier properties and surface wettability for wound healing. Controlled release of H. perforatum oil was obtained from fabricated membranes up to 48 h. Bilayer membranes showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans and did not show any toxic effect on NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast and HS2 keratinocyte cell lines. In vitro scratch assay results indicated that H. perforatum oil had a wound healing effect by inducing fibroblast migration. The proliferation study supported these results by increasing fibroblast proliferation on H. perforatum oil loaded bilayer membranes.

Despite the advancements in bone transplantation operations, inflammation is still a serious problem that threatens human health at the post-implantation period. Conventional antibiotic therapy methods may lead to some side effects such as ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity, especially when applied in high doses. Therefore, local drug delivery systems play a vital role in bone disorders due to the elimination of the disadvantages introduced by conventional methods. In the presented study, it was aimed to develop Vancomycin (VC) and Gentamicin (GC) loaded chitosan-montmorillonite nanoclay composites (CS/MMT) to provide required antibiotic doses to combat post-implantation infection. CS/MMT nanocomposite formation was supplied by microfluidizer homogenization and spherical drug carrier nanoparticles were obtained by electrospraying technique. Three factors; voltage, distance and flowrate were varied to fabricate spherical nanoparticles with uniform size. Emprical model was developed to predict nanosphere size by altering process variables. Nanospheres were characterized in terms of morphology, hydrodynamic size, zeta potential, drug encapsulation efficiency and release profile. Drug loaded nanospheres have been successfully produced with a size range of 180-350 nm. Nanocomposite drug carriers showed high encapsulation efficiency (80%-95%) and prolonged release period when compared to bare chitosan nanospheres. The drug release from nanocomposite carriers was monitored by diffusion mechanism up to 30 d. The in vitro release medium of nanospheres showed strong antimicrobial activity against gram-positive S. aureus and gram-negative E. coli bacteria. Furthermore, it was found that the nanospheres did not show any cytotoxic effect to fibroblast (NIH/3T3) and osteoblast (SaOS-2) cell lines. The results demonstrated that the prepared composite nanospheres can be a promising option for bone infection prevention at the post implantation period., TUBITAK (116M096)

Recently, natural polymers are reinforced with silica particles for hard tissue engineering applications to induce bone regeneration. In this study, as two novel bioactive agents, effects of diatomite and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) on chitosan (CS)/Na-carboxymethylcellulose (Na-CMC) polymer blend scaffolds are examined. In addition, the effect of silica reinforcements was compared with Si-substituted nano-hydroxyapatite (Si-Hap) particles. The morphology, physical and chemical structures of the scaffolds were characterized with SEM, liquid displacement, FT-IR, mechanical analysis, swelling and degradation studies. The particle size and the crystal structure of diatomite, POSS and Si-Hap particles were determined with DLS and XRD analyses. In vitro studies were performed to figure out the cytotoxicity, proliferation, ALP activity, osteocalcin production and biomineralization to demonstrate the promising use of natural silica particles in bone regeneration. Freeze-dried scaffolds showed 190–307 μm pore size range and 61–70% porosity. Both inorganic reinforcements increased the mechanical strength, enhanced the water uptake capacity and fastened the degradation rate. The nanocomposite scaffolds did not show any cytotoxic effect and enhanced the surface mineralization in osteogenic medium. Thus, diatomite and POSS cage structures can be potential reinforcements for nanocomposite design in hard tissue engineering applications.

Water repellency on natural stone surfaces is the most important issue in the protection of stone monuments from effects of atmospheric pollutants. In this study, effectiveness of a bio-nano composite coating, composed of a biodegradable polymer (poly-L-lactide [PLA]) and montmorillonite clay (MMT) was investigated for the protection of marble surfaces from pollution. The clay dispersion in polymer matrices was analyzed by using Scanning Tunnel Electron Microscopy (STEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), while protection performance was investigated by the measurement of surface roughness, wettability, water vapor permeability, capillary water absorption, and color changes on the marble surfaces. As a result, no alteration on the color of coated marbles was observed, significant improvement was obtained for hydrophobicity of the surface and inhibition of sulfation reaction on the exposed marble surfaces under acidic atmosphere. It could be said that PLA based nanocomposites seem to be promising materials as protective coating agents in reducing the effects of water and atmospheric pollutants on marble surfaces., Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (108M335)

Tihminlioglu, Funda/0000-0002-3715-8253, WOS: 000442192000028, PubMed: 30033256, As a natural and abundant silica mineral, diatomite particles (SiO2-nH(2)O) have been used in several areas such as filtration, photonics, sound and heat insulation, filler material and drug delivery due to its abundance, inexpensive cost, unique morphology and porous structure. But up to date, diatomite incorporated silica based scaffolds have not been used for bone tissue engineering applications. In the present study, the goal was to combine the useful biomaterial properties of both chitosan and diatomite as biocomposite organic/inorganic biomaterial for bone tissue engineering applications and optimize the silica content of the composites in order to obtain optimum morphological structure, high mechanical properties, enlarged surface area and enhanced cell proliferation. The effect of silica loading on the mechanical, morphological, chemical, and surface properties, wettability and biocompatibility of composite scaffolds were investigated. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity and cellular activities including cell proliferation, ALP activity and biomineralization were investigated in order to determine biological activity of the composite scaffolds. Diatomite particles lead to enhancement in the water uptake capacity of scaffolds. Chitosan-silica composites exhibited 82-90% porosity. Wet chitosan-silica composite scaffolds exhibited higher compression moduli when compared to pure chitosan scaffold in the range of 67.3-90.1 kPa. Average pore size range of chitosan-diatomite composite scaffolds was obtained as 218-319 mu m. In vitro results indicated that chitosan-diatomite composites did not show any cytotoxic effect on 3T3, MG-63 and Saos-2 cell lines. Scaffolds were found to be favorable for osteoblast proliferation. Diatomite incorporation showed promising effects on enhancing ALP activity as well as mineral formation on scaffold surface. Thus, the prepared scaffolds in this study can be considered prospective material for bone tissue engineering applications.

Recent studies in wound dressing applications offer new therapies and promote wound healing process. The aim of this study was to develop Hypericum perforatum (St John's Wort) oil incorporated chitosan films for wound dressing applications. H. perforatum oil as a potential therapeutic agent was encapsulated in chitosan film to achieve a better wound dressing material. Oil incorporated chitosan films were successfully prepared by solvent casting method in different oil concentrations (0.25-1.5%v/v). Water vapor permeability (WVP), mechanical test, swelling behavior and surface hydrophobicity were performed in order to characterize the prepared films. Antimicrobial test was performed by disc diffusion method and the growth inhibition effects of the films including different amount of H. perforatum oil were investigated on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. WVP increased with oil incorporation and the highest value was obtained for 0.25% oil concentration.The highest strain value was obtained in 0.25% oil content films although tensile stress decreased with increasing oil content. H. perforatum oil incorporated films had antimicrobial effect on both microorganisms. Chitosan based films had no cytotoxic effects on NIH3T3fibroblast cells and provided a good surface for cell attachment and proliferation. The results showed that the H. perforatum incorporated chitosan films seems to be a potential and novel biomaterial for wound healing applications.

Tihminlioglu, Funda/0000-0002-3715-8253, WOS: 000424301800001, PubMed: 29196900, In this study, novel composites membranes composed of chitosan matrix and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) were fabricated by solvent casting method. The effect of POSS loading on the mechanical, morphological, chemical, thermal and surface properties, and cytocompatibility of composite membranes were investigated and observed by tensile test, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), protein adsorption assay, air/water contact angle analysis and WST-1 respectively. Swelling studies were also performed by water absorption capacity determination. Results showed that incorporation of Octa-TMA POSS (R) nanofiller to the chitosan matrix increased the surface roughness, protein adsorption and swelling capacity of membranes. The addition of POSS enhanced significantly the ultimate tensile strength and strain at break of the composite membranes up to 3 wt% POSS loaded samples. An increase of about 76% in tensile strength and of strain at break 1.28% was achieved for 3 wt% POSS loaded nanocomposite membranes compared with chitosan membranes. The presence of POSS filler into polymer matrix increased the plasma protein adsorption on the surface. Maximum protein capacity and swelling was obtained for 10 wt% loaded samples. High cell viability results were obtained with indirect extraction of chitosan/POSS composites. Besides, cell proliferation and ALP activity results showed that POSS incorporation significantly increased the ALP activity of Saos-2 cells cultured on chitosan membranes. This novel composite membranes with tunable properties could be considered as a potential candidate for guided bone regeneration applications.

WOS: 000301521200008, Biodegradable polymers are widely used in biomedical and tissue engineering applications due to their biocompatibility and hydrolysis properties in the body. However, their low surface energy and lack of functional groups to interact with the cellular environment have limited their applications for in vivo studies. Ion beam modification is a convenient method for improving the surface properties of polymeric materials for functional biomedical applications. In the work described here, vacuum arc metal ion implantation was used to modify the composition of the near-surface region of three kinds of polymers-poly(L-lactide), poly(D, L-lactide-co-glycolide), and poly(L-lactide/caprolactone)-chosen as representative of biodegradable polymers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was used to characterize the chemical effects of these polymers after implantation with C and with Au, and the results were compared with untreated control samples. We find that oxidation behavior is brought about for certain implantation fluences, resulting in improved surface hydrophilicity.

18th World Forum on Advanced Polymeric Materials, Siegen, Germany, April 07-10, 2010, In this study, chitosan nanocomposite films were prepared using a solvent-casting method by incorporation of an organically modified montmorillonite (Cloisite 10A). The effect of filler concentration on the water vapor permeability, oxygen permeability, mechanical and thermal properties of the composite films was evaluated. The structure of nanocomposites and the state of intercalation of the clay were characterized by XRD. The water vapor permeability of pure chitosan films was measured as a function of relative humidity (RH). It was found that the permeability value increased with an increase in RH. The water vapor and gas permeability values of the composite films decreased significantly with increasing filler concentration. Permeation data was fitted to various phenomenological models predicting the permeability of polymer systems filled with nanoclays as a function of clay concentration and aspect ratio of nanoplatelets. According to the XRD results, an increase in basal spacing was obtained with respect to pure clay for chitosan/clay nanocomposites. This demonstrated the formation of intercalated structure of clay in the polymer matrix. Tensile strength and elongation at break of the composites increased significantly with the addition of clay, however the thermal and color properties of the films were not much affected by the intercalation of clay into polymer matrix.

In this study, a novel film structure of corn zein coated on polypropylene (PP) synthetic films for food packaging applications was developed, and the mechanical properties of the resulting coated film, as affected by the coating formulation, were investigated. Composite structures of PP films coated with corn zein were obtained through a simple solvent casting method. Different amounts of corn zein (5 and 15%) were dissolved in 70 and 95% aqueous ethanol solution at 50°C. Solutions of corn zein plasticized with poly(ethylene glycol) and glycerol (GLY) at various levels (20 and 50%) were applied on corona-discharge-treated PP. A statistical analysis based on full factorial design was performed to examine the influence of the coating formulation on the final properties of the corn-zein-coated PP films. A significant (p < 0.05) improvement in the coated film's mechanical properties was observed compared to those of the uncoated PP. The effect of the plasticization of the coating solutions was also quite significant. In general, GLY provided better improvements in the mechanical properties of the corn-zein-coated PP films. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the corn-zein and plasticizer concentrations and plasticizer type used in the coating formulations were more effective parameters and had significant effects on the mechanical behavior of the coated PP films. In conclusion, corn-zein coatings could have potential as alternatives to conventional synthetic polymers used in composite multilayer structures for food packaging applications. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011

Chitosan films incorporated with thyme oil for potential applications of wound dressing were successfully prepared by solvent casting method. The water vapor permeability, oxygen transmission rate, and mechanical properties of the films were determined. Surface and cross-section morphologies and the film thicknesses were determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was conducted to determine functional group interactions between the chitosan and thyme oil. Thermal behaviors of the films were analyzed by Thermal Gravimetry (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). In addition, the antimicrobial and the antioxidant activities of the films were investigated. The antimicrobial test was carried by agar diffusion method and the growth inhibition effects of the films including different amount of thyme oil were tested on the gram negative microorganisms of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a gram positive microorganism of Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum thyme oil concentration in chitosan films showing the antimicrobial activity on all microorganisms used in the study was found as 1.2 % (v/v). In addition, this concentration showed the highest antioxidant activity due to mainly the carvacrol in thyme oil. Water vapor permeability and oxygen transmission rate of the films slightly increased, however, mechanical properties decreased with thyme oil incorporation. The results revealed that the thyme oil has a good potential to be incorporated into chitosan to make antibacterial and permeable films for wound healing applications. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

The novel film structure of corn-zein coated on polypropylene (PP) synthetic film for packaging industry was developed to examine the feasibility of resulting coated films as an alternative water barrier performance for food packaging. The effects of coating formulation (solvent, corn-zein, plasticizer concentration and plasticizer type) on final properties of films were observed. Corn-zein is the most important protein of corn and has good film forming property. Composites structures of PP films coated with corn-zein were obtained through a simple solvent casting method. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glycerol (GLY) were used as plasticizer to increase film flexibility. Statistical analysis based on full factorial design was performed to observe coating formulation effects. The high water vapour barriers were obtained for films coated with coating formulation consisting of higher amounts of corn-zein plasticized by GLY. The lower glass transition temperatures (T g) of films were obtained by plasticization of films and T g decreased by increasing plasticizer content. The statistical analysis defined the key parameters of coating formulation that had major effects on the final properties of coated PP films as corn-zein, plasticizer concentration and plasticizer type. In conclusion, corn-zein coatings could have potential as an alternative to conventional synthetic polymers used in composite multilayer structures for food packaging applications.

Chemical surface characterization of C + H hybrid ion implanted UHMWPE samples were carried out using DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) and TGA (thermal gravimetric analysis) techniques. Samples were implanted with a fluence of 1017 ion/cm2 and an extraction voltage of 30 kV. The study of TGA and DSC curves showed that: (1) Polymeric decomposition temperature increased, (2) Tm, ΔCp and ΔHm values changed while ΔCp and ΔHm increased. Tg value could not be measured, because of some experimental limitations. However, the increase in ΔHm values showed that Tg values increased, (3) the branch density which indicated the increase in number of cross-link (Mc) decreased in ion implanted samples and (4) increase in ΔHm values indicated increase in crystallinity of implanted surface of UHMWPE samples.

The effects of coupling agents on the mechanical, morphological, and water sorption properties of luffa fiber (LF)/polypropylene(PP) composites were studied. In order to enhance the interfacial interactions between the PP matrix and the luffa fiber, three different types of coupling agents, (3-aminopropyl)-triethoxysilane (AS), 3-(trimethoxysilyl)-1-propanethiol (MS), and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) were used. The PP composites containing 2–15 wt% of LF were prepared in a torque rheometer. The tensile properties of the untreated and treated composites were determined as a function of filler loading. Tensile strength and Young's modulus increased with employment of the coupling agents accompanied by a decrease in water absorption with treatment due to the better adhesion between the fiber and the matrix. The maximum improvement in the mechanical properties was obtained for the MS treated LF composites. The interfacial interactions improved the filler compatibility, mechanical properties, and water resistance of composites. The improvement in the interfacial interaction was also confirmed by the Pukanszky model. Good agreement was obtained between experimental data and the model prediction. Morphological studies demonstrated that better adhesion between the fiber and the matrix was achieved especially for the MS and AS treated LF composites. Atomic force microscope (AFM) studies also showed that the surface roughness of LFs decreased with the employment of silane-coupling agents.

In this study, the thermal degradation behavior of polypropylene (PP) and PP–zeolite composites was investigated. Clinoptilolite, a natural zeolitic tuff, was used as the filler material in composites. The effects of both pure clinoptilolite and silver-ion-exchanged clinoptilolite on the thermal degradation kinetics of the PP composites was studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Polymer degradation was evaluated with DSC at heating rates of 5, 10, and 20°C/min from room temperature to 500°C. The silver concentration (4.36, 27.85, and 183.8 mg of Ag/g of zeolite) was the selected parameter under consideration. From the DSC curves, we observed that the heat of degradation values of the composites containing 2–6% silver-exchanged zeolite (321–390 kJ/kg) were larger than that of the pure PP (258 kJ/kg). From the DSC results, we confirmed that the PP–zeolite composites can be used at higher temperatures than the pure PP polymer because of its higher thermal stability. The thermal decomposition activation energies of the composites were calculated with both the Kissinger and Ozawa models. The values predicted from these two equations were in close agreement. From the TGA curves, we found that zeolite addition into the PP matrix slowed the decomposition reaction; however, silver-exchanged zeolite addition into the matrix accelerated the reaction. The higher the silver concentration was, the lower were the thermal decomposition activation energies we obtained. As a result, PP was much more susceptible to thermal decomposition in the presence of silver-exchanged zeolite. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 143–148, 2006

Thermodynamic properties, partition coefficient, and diffusion coefficients of the various solvents (acetone, dichloromethane, trichloromethane, ethyl acetate, ethyl alcohol, tetrahydrofuran, and water) in poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) at infinite dilution of the solvent have been determined by inverse gas chromatography (IGC). In IGC method, which is based on the characteristic equilibrium partitioning of a solute between a mobile phase and a stationary phase, a small pulse of solvent is introduced into the column and by the aid of retention volume of the solvent, several polymer solvent interaction properties, namely retention volume (Vg), infinitely dilute weight fraction activity coefficient (Ω), Flory–Huggins interaction parameter (χ), and solubility parameters of the polymer (δ) can be determined. The thermodynamic results indicated that trichloromethane and dichloromethane were the most suitable solvents among all the solvents studied for PLGA. The partition (K) and diffusion coefficients (Dp) of various solvents at infinite dilution of the solvent were calculated by using the model developed by Pawlisch et al. (Macromolecules 1987, 20, 1564). The optimum K and Dp values that best fit the data were found and the model predicted experimental data very well. So IGC method is a powerful tool for the determination of thermodynamic and diffusion properties of solvent in polymer at infinite dilution of the solvent. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 2426–2432, 2006

Water and water vapor sorption to porous polypropylene–zeolite composites prepared by hot pressing have been studied as a function of zeolite loading. This work presents the first report on the effect of the zeolite as a filler on the water-sorption properties of PP composites. Water swelling experiments were conducted at 25°C using pure PP and PP–zeolite films samples having different zeolite loadings (6–40 wt %). Because PP is a hydrophobic polymer, it does not sorp any water, but the composites having 10, 20, 30, and 40% zeolites have sorbed 0.63, 1.00, 1.72 and 3.74% water, respectively. The zeolite itself at the same conditions sorbed 24.5% water. As the filler loading in the composites increased, equilibrium uptake values increased also. On the other hand, water vapor sorption and kinetics has been studied using a Cahn 2000 gravimetric sorption system. Within in the range of 0.35–0.95% water vapor was adsorbed by the composites containing 10–40 wt % zeolites. Experimental effective water vapor diffusivities of the composite films was about one order of magnitude higher (10-fold) than the experimental water diffusion coefficient in composites. The transport of water in composites was slower than that in the liquid water due to the longer diffusion pathway and adsorption on the surface of the composites. Although the liquid water may fill all the voids in the composite, water vapor is adsorbed on the surface of the zeolite only. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 3069–3075, 2003

The capillary-column inverse gas chromatography method was used to measure the diffusion and partition coefficients of ethylbenzene, styrene, and acrylonitrile in polybutadiene (PBD) at infinite dilution of the solvents. Experiments were performed over a temperature range of 50-125 °C. At temperatures well above the glass-transition temperature of PBD, the diffusivities were correlated using an Arrhenius expression. The Arrhenius parameters in turn were intercorrelated and shown to be a function of the occupied volume, thus providing a method for predicting the diffusion of other solvents in the same polymer. Further, the activation energy was predicted using the Duda-Vrentas free-volume approach. The activation energy thus obtained was compared with the activation energy of the Arrhenius approach. The weight-fraction activity coefficient data were compared to the predictions of the group contribution, lattice-fluid equation-of-state, and the UNIquac Functional-group Activity Coefficient (UNIFAC) free-volume models.

In a previous publication (Tihminlioglu et al., J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 1997, 35, 1279), we presented an extensive analysis of the polyvinyl acetate–toluene system. The inverse gas chromatography (IGC) technique was used to measure phase equilibria and diffusion coefficients above and near the glass-transition temperature of a polymer. At temperatures above the glass transition, the capillary column model developed by Pawlisch et al. (Macromolecules 1987, 20, 1564) was used. For the finite concentration region, the modified model of Tihminlioglu and Danner (J Chromatogr A 1999, 845, 93) was applied. Data obtained with the IGC method were in agreement with data measured with the gravimetric and piezoelectric sorption techniques. In this work, we revisit the partition coefficient issue and provide some new data at lower temperatures. At temperatures near the glass-transition temperature, the modification of the capillary column model proposed by Vrentas et al. (Macromolecules 1993, 26, 6670) was used for the infinite dilution region. The diffusion data correlated well with the Vrentas–Duda free-volume model. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 2429–2435, 2000

The inverse gas chromatography (IGC) technique was used to obtain the partition and diffusion coefficients of solvents in polystyrene over a wide range of temperatures. Infinite dilution experiments were performed with three solvents: toluene, benzene, and hexane. Finite concentration data were measured for the polystyrene–toluene system at various concentrations from 110 to 180 °C. For the finite concentration region, the modified capillary column model used by Tihminlioglu and Danner (J Chromatogr A 1999, 845, 93–101) was used to calculate diffusion and thermodynamic data. Finite concentration thermodynamic data were also calculated with the retention theory approach and compared with the capillary column model. The experimental IGC results are in good agreement with data from other experimental techniques. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1965–1974, 2000

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) has been shown by previous efforts to be an efficient and reliable method of obtaining the solubility and diffusion coefficients of solvents in polymers when the solvents are infinitely dilute. We have extended the IGC method to finite concentrations and to multicomponent systems. The experimental procedures have been improved to provide data more efficiently without loss of accuracy.

The solution properties of polyelectrolytes are not well understood despite increasing theoretical and experimental effort, particularly during the last 10 years. Some of the current models for polyelectrolyte solutions are valid only at infinite dilution because they account only for long-range interactions. Nagvekar and Danner [M. Nagvekar, R.P. Danner, An Excess Gibbs Free Energy Model for Polyelectrolyte Solutions, Fluid Phase Equilibria 53 (1989) 219.] have developed an excess Gibbs free energy model for polyelectrolyte solutions. The key feature of the model is to express the excess Gibbs free energy as the sum of the contributions from long-range and short-range interactions. The `limiting laws' of Manning [G.S. Manning, Limiting Laws and Counterion Condensation in Polyelectrolyte Solutions. I. Colligative Properties, J. Chem. Phys. 51 (1969a) 924; G.S. Manning, Limiting Laws and Counterion Condensation in Polyelectrolyte Solutions. II. Self-diffusion of Small Ions, J. Chem. Phys. 51 (1969b) 934.] were used to account for the long-range interactions while a local composition model of the Non-Random Two Liquid (NRTL) type was used for short-range interactions. In this work, we present the expressions for counterion activity coefficients and the motic coefficients in polyelectrolyte solutions with and without added salts at finite concentrations. Data for a number of polyelectrolyte systems with univalent and divalent counterions are analyzed using Nagvekar's proposed model. In the low concentration regime, the osmotic coefficient data are practically independent of concentration, and are in reasonable agreement with the Manning model. With increasing polyelectrolyte concentration, the osmotic coefficient data are a strong function of concentration, and the local composition model is shown to successfully represent the data.

The inverse gas chromatography (IGC) method has been evaluated as a method to determine diffusion coefficients in polymer–solvent systems near the glass transition temperature. The poly(vinyl acetate)–toluene system was used for this purpose. Diffusion and partition coefficients were measured over a wide range of temperature. At temperatures significantly above the glass transition of the polymer, the capillary column model developed by Pawlisch and co-workers1,2 was used. At temperatures near the glass transition temperature, the modification of the capillary column model, proposed by Vrentas et al.3 was used. A sensitivity analysis of the capillary column model was made to delineate the range of applicability of the model. The diffusion coefficients obtained from IGC were compared with those extrapolated from the gravimetric sorption technique. The values agree within the expected range of error. Finally, free-volume theory was evaluated for its ability to predict the temperature and concentration dependencies of diffusion coefficients at temperatures near the glass transition from high temperature IGC data. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 1233–1240, 1997

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) is a very fast, accurate, and reliable technique to measure diffusion coefficients. This technique however, has been limited to measurements in the infinite dilution region, i.e., in the region of negligible amount of solvent in the polymer. We have extended the scope of inverse gas chromatography to measure diffusion coefficients at finite concentrations of the solvent. This involves doping the carrier gas with a solvent of interest to achieve finite concentrations of solvent in the carrier gas and hence in the polymer. The carrier gas is passed through a saturator maintained at constant temperature to achieve this purpose. Diffusion coefficients for polyvinyl acetate–toluene, and polystyrene–toluene systems were determined at finite concentrations. The results were compared with the traditional gravimetric sorption and piezoelectric sorption measurements reported in the literature. The data are in excellent agreement with the values reported, correlate well with the Vrentas–Duda free volume theory, and can also be predicted from infinitely dilute data using the free volume theory. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 1279–1290, 1997

The feasibility of corn zein nanocomposite (CZNC) coatings as an alternative to synthetic polymer barrier layer on polypropylene (PP) films was examined. The effect of layered silicate content in the CZNC layers on the barrier and surface hydrophobicity of the CZNC-PP films were investigated. Incorporation of organomodified montmorillonite (OMMT) by solution intercalation into zein matrix significantly improved oxygen and water vapor barrier of coated PP films. The barrier properties were also investigated theoretically by using various phenomenological permeability models. Tortuous permeation path formed by the fine delamination of nanoclays was found to be responsible for the barrier improvements in zein layers. In conclusion, durable CZNC-PP laminates were developed. CZNC coating of PP films has reduced the oxygen permeability nearly four times, while water vapor permeability reduced by 30% with 5 wt.% OMMT content in 5.9 μm corn zein coating.

A novel corn-zein coating structure on polypropylene (PP) films was developed to examine its feasibility as an alternative water vapor and oxygen-barrier for flexible packaging industry. The barrier properties of the resulting films were evaluated as affected by coating formulation (solvent, corn-zein, plasticizer concentration and plasticizer type). Corn-zein with different amounts (5% and 15%) was dissolved in 70% and 95% aqueous ethanol solution at 50 °C, respectively. Solutions of corn-zein plasticized by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glycerol (GLY) with various levels (20% and 50%) were applied on corona-discharged-treated PP by using solvent-casting method. The significant improvements in water vapor and oxygen-barrier properties of uncoated PP films were obtained with corn-zein coating. Water vapor permeability (WVP) of the coated films decreased significantly with increasing corn-zein concentration. The application of plasticized corn-zein coating on PP films showed nearly more than three order of reduction in oxygen permeability (OP). The high water vapor and oxygen-barriers were obtained for films coated with coating formulation consisting of higher amounts of corn-zein plasticized by GLY. The statistical analysis defined the key parameters of coating formulation that had major effect on the final properties of coated PP films as corn-zein, plasticizer concentration, and plasticizer type. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implanted biomedical prosthetic devices are intended to perform safely, reliably and effectively in the human body thus the materials used for orthopedic devices should have good biocompatibility. Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene (UHMWPE) has been commonly used for total hip joint replacement because of its very good properties. In this work, UHMWPE samples were Ag and Ag+N ion implanted by using the Metal‐Vapor Vacuum Arc (MEVVA) ion implantation technique. Samples were implanted with a fluency of 1017 ion/cm2 and extraction voltage of 30 kV. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) was used for surface studies. RBS showed the presence of Ag and N on the surface. Cell attachment properties investigated with model cell lines (L929 mouse fibroblasts) to demonstrate that the effect of Ag and Ag+N ion implantation can favorably influence the surface of UHMWPE for biomedical applications. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to demonstrate the cell attachment on the surface. Study has show...

Biodegradable polymers have been replaced over the synthetic polymers in many applications due to their good properties such as reversibility and biodegradability. Therefore they allow new treatment on the surface of the material to be protected and they fulfil the principles generally accepted by the International Conservation Community of Historic Monuments and Buildings. In this study, the efficiency of four different biodegradable polymers as protective coatings on marble-SO2 reaction was investigated. The polymers used were zein, chitosan, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and poly-l-lactide (PLA). The mineralogical composition, bulk density and porosity of uncoated marble were determined. The water vapor permeability, water absorption by capillary forces, surface wettability, and color alteration of uncoated and coated marbles were measured. For sulphation reaction, marble slabs were coated with these polymers and then they were exposed at nearly 8 ppm SO2 concentration at 100% relative humidity conditions together with uncoated ones in a reaction chamber for several days for testing their protection efficiency. The extent of reaction was determined by leaching of gypsum formed on the marble surfaces in deionized water and then determining the sulphate content by ion chromatography. The protection efficiency of polymer treatments was expressed as comparing the gypsum crust thickness of the coated and uncoated marble plates. The comparison among the polymers showed that the surface hydrophobicity, water capillary absorption and structure of polymer would be important factors affecting the protection efficiency. The use of high molecular weight PLA (HMWPLA) polymer on marble surfaces provided significant protection up to 60% which was indicated that HMWPLA polymer seems to be promising polymer as protective coating agent in reducing gypsum formation on marble surfaces in the polluted environment., TÜBİTAK 104M564