Scanning electron microscopy and swelling test of shrimp shell chitosan and chitosan–RGD scaffolds

Abstract

Shrimp shell chitosan and chitosan–RGD scaffold membranes are produced to be biocompatible with tissue engineering. Nonetheless, their architectural properties have not yet been studied. Analyze the architectural properties of chitosan and chitosan–RGD scaffolds. Analyze pore count and size, interpore distance, and porosity (using SEM testing and ImageJ analysis) and water absorption (using a swelling test). The properties of the chitosan and chitosan–RGD scaffolds were as follows, respectively. The pore counts were 225 and 153; pore size, 171.4 μam and 180.2 μam; interpore distance, 105.7 μam and 101.4 μam; porosity, 22% and 10.2%; and water absorption, 9.1 mgH2O/mgScaffold and 19.3 mgH2O/mgScaffold. The shrimp shell chitosan–RGD membrane scaffold was found to have architectural properties that make it more conducive to use in tissue engineering.