Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured scaffold of pullulan/dextran with gelatin

• Main Author: Zhuo, Johnson YongZhi
• Other Authors: Chew Sing Yian
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Bioengineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/39456
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With the emergence of nanotechnology, researchers have become more motivated in exploring the characteristic properties of nanoscale material. Electrospinning, an electrostatic nanofiber production method has come to greater attention in recent years due to its flexibility, porosity and potential. Nanofiber scaffolds were fabricated with STMP (Sodium TriMetaPhosphate) in Pullulan/Dextran polymeric solution and this was done to investigate the effects of using 8%, 12% and 16% STMP which acts as a crosslinker. Following which, scaffolds comprising of gelatin incorporated into the pullulan/dextran mixture were produced and analyzed. The specimens were subsequently characterized via tensile strength and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) tests. The average diameter of the fibers for 8%, 12% and 16% STMP without gelatin are (296±121)nm, (284±109)nm and (304±183)nm respectively while the average diameter of the fibers for 8%, 12% and 16% STMP without gelatin are (276±120)nm, (295±134)nm and (289±56)nm respectively. These result showed that the three dimensional scaffolds produced exhibited good mechanical properties with distinct size and consistency, rendering them to be applicable for tissue engineering.