Synthesis and Characterization of Gel/HPMC-HA and Gel/HPMC-TCP Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Polymers used for biomedical applications do not solely possess all the desired properties. Thus, polymer blending approach is used to combine two or more polymers to enhance their properties. Individual gelatin doesn’t possess all the characteristics that are suitable for its potential use as a scaffold in tissue regeneration. This work is based on preparing the gelatin blend with HPMC, to achieve desired properties, by using solution casting method. HA and TCP were added as fillers to mimic the polymeric scaffold for tissue regeneration. The resulting membranes were subjected to XRD, FTIR, SEM, TGA and Mechanical Testing. XRD peaks confirms the presence of all the components in the final membranes. FTIR confirms the presence of functional groups for all the components in membranes. SEM analysis shows the presence of both the fillers at the polymeric matrix’s surface. TGA analysis indicates that the thermal degradation and weight loss of the membranes containing gelatin as major component. The mechanical properties were analyzed through Universal Testing Machine and the results show that the mechanical properties of Gel/HPMC have been enhanced for both HA and TCP nanocomposites with the increase in filler contents. The results and properties in this study indicates the potential application of Gel/HPMC-HA and Gel/HPMC-TCP networks as scaffolds for tissue regeneration.