Fabrication and Properties Detection of PLA-CNTs Hybrid Film Based on a Phase Inversion Method

Abstract

Carbon-based nanomaterials have been extensively studied as scaffolds for neural tissue regeneration. In particularly, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), was most widely applied in neural tissue engineering due to their excellent electrical conductivity and good biocompatibility. In this study, the CNTs were introduced into the pure PLA film, to optimize the function of PLA film for further application. The PLA-CNTs film with CNTs content of 0%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6% were prepared by a phase inversion method, respectively. Following this, the morphology and mechanical properties of the films were both evaluated. The results illustrated the CNTs were uniformly dispersed on the film surface and increased the surface roughness. The film had microporous structure on the cross section, which was not effect by the CNTs. Meanwhile, the critical tensile stress of the film increased from 14.0±3Mpa to 19.7 ±2Mpa, but the elastic modulus of PLA-CNTs hybrid film was no significantly changes. It is a preliminary study about fabrication and characterization of PLA-CNTs film.