Multifunctional, Robust, and Porous PHBV-GO/MXene Composite Membranes with Good Hydrophilicity, Antibacterial Activity, and Platelet Adsorption Performance.

Yuandong Wu,Min Wen,Yi Huang,Liyuan Sheng,Weishuang Zheng,Beining Du,Chen Lai,Yinan Xiao,Xingru Zhang

doi:10.3390/polym13213748

Abstract

The limitations of hydrophilicity, strength, antibacterial activity adsorption performance of the biobased and biocompatible polymer materials, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), significantly restrict their wider applications especially in medical areas. In this paper, a novel composite membrane with high antibacterial activity and platelet adsorption performance was prepared based on graphene oxide (GO), MXene and 3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV), which are medium-chain-length-copolymers of PHA. The GO/MXene nanosheets can uniformly inset on the surface of PHBV fibre and give the PHBV—GO/MXene composite membranes superior hydrophilicity due to the presence of hydroxyl groups and terminal oxygen on the surface of nanosheets, which further provides the functional site for the free radical polymerization of ester bonds between GO/MXene and PHBV. As a result, the tensile strength, platelet adsorption, and blood coagulation time of the PHBV—GO/MXene composite membranes were remarkably increased compared with those of the pure PHBV membranes. The antibacterial rate of the PHBV—GO/MXene composite membranes against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria can reach 97% due to the antibacterial nature of MXene. The improved strength, hydrophilicity, antibacterial activity and platelet adsorption performance suggest that PHBV—GO/MXene composite membranes might be ideal candidates for multifunctional materials for haemostatic applications.

Highlights

IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
The FT-IR spectra of MXene nanosheets appeared at 3423 cm−1, 2923 cm−1, 2848 cm−1, 1715 cm−1, and 1045 cm−1, which correspond to the –OH, C-H in benzene rings and alkane carbon chains, C=O, and C–O–C stretching vibration, respectively [37], mainly owing to the oxygenic groups on graphene oxide (GO) and MXene
The peaks at 201 and 720 cm−1 identifying MXene were more evident with increasing GO/MXene dosage in PHBV—GO/MXene composite membrane (Figure 5B). These results indicate that GO/MXene is effectively mixed into PHBV, which is consistent with the SEM and TEM results (Figures 3 and 4)

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. All countries are aware of the serious environmental problems caused by white pollution with the rapid development of the national economy, especially the petrochemical industry [1,2,3,4]. China has already committed to achieving peak emissions of carbon dioxide before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 [7,8]. The government urged quicker steps to take actions that enabled the peak of emissions [9]. It is necessary that the government accelerates bolstering the development of the green industry [10,11]

Methods

Results

Conclusion