Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Graphene Oxide Composite Nanofibers for Potential Wound Healing Application

Abstract

Recently, there has been a surge in scholarly interest regarding the application of sophisticated materials technology to expedite wound healing, particularly through the integration of nanocomposites endowed with multifaceted functionalities to augment the efficacy of wound care products. In order to propose an external power-free wound healing dressing with electrical stimulation function, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers incorporating graphene oxide (GO) at varying concentrations were fabricated via electrospinning technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to reveal the morphology of the composite nanofibers. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed the transition of PVDF from α phase to β phase. The antibacterial efficacy of PVDF/GO composite nanofibers against Staphylococcus aureus was rigorously examined. Results indicated a marked enhancement in antibacterial efficacy in correlation with the increasing content of GO. Moreover, piezoelectric property assessments, cytotoxicity, and hemolysis tests were meticulously performed. The outcomes suggested that nanofibers containing 0.5 w/w% GO (PVDF/GO-0.5) demonstrated superior performance across all evaluated metrics, particularly in terms of mechanical properties, piezoelectric characteristics, and antibacterial efficacy. These findings imply that PVDF/GO-0.5 nanofibers possess the capability to mimic the endogenous electric field, which is beneficial to boost cellular migration and proliferation, thereby accelerating the wound healing process. Overall, the innovative composite nanofibers proposed in this study can be considered a highly promising candidate in the field of wound care and tissue engineering.