ABSTRACT
Introduction: Chitosan (CTS) has been a popular option for scaffold fabrication because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, antimicrobial and nonimmunogenic effects. However, it is of limited function, due to its low mechanical strength and its solubility in acidified media. These limitations could be overcome by its blending with other polymers like polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and incorporation of other bioactive material such as carbon-based nanomaterials like graphene oxide (GO) to improve its mechanical properties and tissue regeneration capability.
Objective: Evaluation of the tensile strength of CTS-PVA-GO nanocomposites with different ratios of scaffold composition of CTS and GO
Methods: GO nanoparticles were chemically prepared and characterized. Different concentrations of both CTS and nano-GO were used for fabrication of CTS/PVA/GO nanocomposite films through the solvent casting method. Tensile strength of the nanocomposite films was assessed after characterization by FTIR and SEM.
Results: Groups were compared using Kruskal Wallis test followed by Dunn's post hoc test. There was no significant difference in tensile strength between the nanocomposite films of CTS (2%) and CTS (3%). The tensile strength decreased after addition of nano-GO at different concentrations.
Conclusions: Obtaining the best mechanical properties of CTS/PVA/GO nanocomposite scaffold for dental hard tissue engineering requires low concentrations of CTS (less than 2%) without increasing the GO concentration above 1% to prevent its aggregation.