A novel combination of graphene oxide/palladium integrated polycaprolactone nanocomposite for biomedical applications

Abstract

To design a multi-biofunctional polymeric nanocomposite for therapeutic applications, biocompatible graphene oxide-palladium (GO-Pd) nanostructures were incorporated into a polycaprolactone (PCL) system. Metallic palladium nanoparticles were anchored over the graphene system through simple electrostatic interaction without reducing graphene oxide (GO). The XPS, XRD, SEM, TEM, EDAX, FTIR, and Raman spectral analysis divulged that the nanohybrid system consists of graphene layers embedded with spherically shaped palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs). Additionally, the optical characteristics of the hybrid system illustrate the surface plasmon resonance offered by metallic PdNPs on graphene. The hemocompatibility test corroborates the compatibility of nanostructures with biological systems. Multifunctional polymeric nanocomposites were obtained by integrating the GO-Pd nanoparticulate system into the PCL matrix. The PCL-GO-Pd nanocomposite was identified to be biodegradable and mechanically stable with enhanced surface wettability. Additionally, PCL-GO-Pd nanocomposite demonstrated distinguished bactericidal activity towards both S. aureus and E. coli due to the synergistic effect of GO and PdNPs, via oxidative stress and cell membrane disruption. Moreover, the hybrid nanocomposite showed remarkable antibacterial efficacy, biomineralization, and cell viability, affirming its bioactive behavior. Therefore, the current research introduces a biocompatible polymeric nanocomposite with considerable biological performance for various therapeutic applications, particularly for bone tissue regeneration.