Synthesis and Characterization of Hybrid Fiber Scaffold for Medical Implants

Abstract

This work synthesized and characterized chitosan-silica based hybrid fiber from cowry shell and rice husk respectively with the aim of studying the behavior of a hybrid polymer-silicate composite via the electrospinning technique to produce nanofibers from natural polymer and agro waste, from which scaffolds can be produced which can be used for culturing and wound healing application in the biomedical field. The samples obtained were subjected to the following analyses: Energy Dispersive X-ray Florescent (ED-XRF), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Thermogravimetic Analysis (TA).It was observed from the ED-XRF analysis that the major constituent of rice husk ash is silica (SiO2) with some associate metallic oxides. The peaks obtained from the FTIR analysis of the polymer confirm the characteristics features for the polysaccharide structure of chitosan while the characteristic and positions of the peaks observed in the extracted silica spectra showed similar position with that of the commercially available silica obtained from BDH chemicals UK. The Chitosan-silica hybrid has Si AOH and Si AO ASi with the respective bands within the regions of 3270-3400cm-1 and 989-1300cm-1.The X-ray diffraction analysis indicates the presence of crystallite in polymers which usually results to improve mechanical properties, unique thermal behavior, and increased fatigue strength. These attributes make crystalline polymers desirable materials for biomedical applications. Also, amorphous components of the hybrid composite would present an improved biodegradation behavior of a biomedical material. It was observed from the morphological analysis that there was good interfacial interaction between the chitosan and the dispersion of the silica reinforcement material. The TA of the sample was carried out to investigate the effect of silica reinforcement on the thermal stability of the hybrid composite. It was discovered that the reinforcement of the silica matrix and its reaction with the polymer makes the thermal resistance of the hybrids to increase and hence, increase in thermal decomposition temperature.