Development of polymeric films for delivery of oxygen generating biomaterials

• Main Author: Ng, Lester Peng Chong
• Other Authors: Chian Kerm Sin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/61295
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Sodium Percarbonate (SPO) was incorporated into polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer films to achieve sustained oxygen supply for use in tissue engineering in prolonging tissue survival in tissue healing and regeneration. The solvent casting method was used to incorporate SPO into PCL and PLA polymer films, using dicholoromethane (DCM) as the solvent. Studies were conducted to determine the optimal conditions, such as polymer weight to solvent volume ratio, volume of solution to use when casting and the drying time required to remove residual solvent. It was found that the ideal ratio was 10.0 %, the ideal volume of solution was 15 ml and the drying time required was 7 days. SEM analysis was conducted on the samples before and after the hydrolysis process and the photos compared. It was found that the presence of SPO greatly affected the surfaces of the polymer films, with numerous holes present on the surfaces of PCL samples and uneven surfaces present on the surfaces of PLA samples after hydrolysis. Oxygen released in the reaction between SPO and water could have led to a buildup in pressure within the polymer films, creating holes and uneven surfaces as the surfaces rupture due to excessive pressure. The samples were placed in water at 37 °C and the gas evolved collected and recorded. The results were plotted to obtain oxygen release profiles. Surprisingly, a decreasing oxygen release profile was obtained for all samples. The high initial readings obtained for the first day could be due to the sudden increase in air pressure caused by the capping of the samples. Cooking oil used as the fluid within the gas collection medium could have contributed to the decreasing trend due to its high oxygen solubility. A leakage test was conducted on the setup using dyed water and no leakages were found.