Temperature-Sensitive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/Konjac Glucomannan/Graphene Oxide Composite Membranes with Improved Mechanical Property, Swelling Capability, and Degradability

Guohong Zou,Rigui Chen,Xu Xia,Bo Jin,Juan Shen,Peizhen Duan

doi:10.1155/2018/7906747

Guohong Zou, Rigui Chen + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7906747

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Abstract

Temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/konjac glucomannan/graphene oxide (PNIPAM/KGM/GO) composite membranes were prepared by solution blending using calcium ions as a cross-linker. The composite membranes were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (Raman), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The swelling, mechanical property, phase transformation behaviors, and enzymatic degradation activities were also determined. Results revealed that the phase transition temperatures of all the composite membranes were approximately 35°C. The PNIPAM/KGM/GO composite membranes showed enhanced mechanical property. The swelling behavior and enzymatic degradation of the PNIPAM/KGM/GO composite membranes improved compared with those of conventional PNIPAM hydrogel and PNIPAM/KGM composite membranes. Thus, the PNIPAM/KGM/GO composite membranes have potential applications in the biomedical field as skin dressings.

Highlights

Large skin defect caused by burns or injury is a confoundedly dangerous situation [1]
These main characteristic peaks in the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra indicated that the PNIPAM/Konjac glucomannan (KGM)/graphene oxide (GO) composite membranes have been successfully synthesized
A novel temperature-responsive composite membrane was successfully prepared, which was based on GO incorporated in PNIPAM/KGM by solution blending using ionic cross-linking of calcium ions

Summary

Introduction

Large skin defect caused by burns or injury is a confoundedly dangerous situation [1]. Traditional intelligent hydrogels are limited because of poor mechanical strength, biological properties, and swelling/deswelling performances, which significantly restrict their practical application [16,17,18] To deal with this problem and obtain materials with enhanced properties, the present study combines PNIPAM with konjac. Tai et al reported an “intelligent” graphene oxide/polyacrylic acid (GO/PAA) nanocomposite hydrogel synthesized with a simple PAA cross-linking reaction Both the compressive strength and water absorbing capacity of the GO/PAA nanocomposite hydrogel were enhanced after adding GO [33]. We prepared novel PNIPAM/KGM/GO temperature-responsive composite membranes by solution blending using ionic cross-linking of calcium ions. This method is facile, and the preparation procedure is easy to control. The mechanical property, phase transformation behavior, swelling behavior, and enzymatic degradation of the PNIPAM/KGM/GO composite films were studied

Experimental

Sample Preparation

Results and Discussion

Conclusion