Surface modification of PVA/Chitosan/PEG/HAp nanofiber scaffolds by plasma treatment and studies of their morphology, wettability, and biodegradation rate

Abstract

Nanofiber scaffold has been widely developed as a tissue engineering material because it can imitate the ECM of bones. In this study, nanofiber scaffold is composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and hydroxyapatite (HAp) which have superior characteristics for tissue engineering applications. The nanofiber scaffold is synthesized using electrospinning. Experimental results show that dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment causes increased surface roughness, contributing to the improvement of surface wettability. This is indicated by a decrease in this contact angle from 9.92° to 1.74°. In addition, DBD plasma treatment also increased biodegradation as well as increased treatment time.