Polymers for tissue engineering : from injectable hydrogels to piezoelectric composites
Prof. Dr. Humberto Palza
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Biotecnología y Materiales, Universidad de Chile / IMPACT, Center of Interventional Medicine for Precision and Advanced Cellular Therapy, Santiago, Chile.
Abstract
Tissue engineering is based on the design of 3 D scaffolds mimicking some properties of the extracellular matrix where cells are naturally supported forming tissues and organs. In this context, polymers are excellent candidates to construct these scaffolds due to their organic nature, flexibility in properties, and broad range of processing techniques for the porous structures Beside these advantages, polymers can further be mixed with different nanoparticles to increase not only the mechanical properties but also functionality and bioactivity. Recent advancements have focused on enhancing
scaffold bioactivity by developing responsive or smart biopolymers eliciting specific actions on surrounding cells in response to various stimuli, such as light, temperature, magnetism, electricity, or mechanical loading. For instance, motivated by the piezoelectric characteristics of bone, which are crucial for its self regeneration, the design of biomimetic smart scaffolds with piezoelectricity has attracted significant attention.
In this seminar different examples of active and smart polymer composites will be shown with focus on injectable smart hydrogels and 3 D printed electroactive and piezoelectric polymers. For instance, we will show the effects of particle alignment and the presence of conductive particles on the behavior of 3 D printed polycaprolactone (PCL) having piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) micro rods. Indeed, biomimetic hydrogels will also be discussed prepared by cross-linking alginate, gelatin, and chondroitin sulfate biopolymers in the presence of GO as a bioactive filler, with excellent
processability for developing bioactive 3 D printed scaffolds and for the bioprinting process. Other examples will be further presented.
