Journal
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
Volume 3, Issue 8, Pages 1334-1343Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201400016
Keywords
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Funding
- 7th RTD Framework Programme-Specific Programme Cooperation under the Graphene Flagship project [FP7-ICT-2013-FET-F-604391]
- EPSRC [EP/K005014/1, EP/K001558/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EP/K001558/1, EP/K005014/1] Funding Source: researchfish
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Stimuli-responsive biomaterials have attracted significant attention in the field of polymeric implants designed as active scaffolds for on-demand drug delivery. Conventional porous scaffolds suffer from drawbacks such as molecular diffusion and material degradation, allowing in most cases only a zero-order drug release profile. The possibility of using external stimulation to trigger drug release is particularly enticing. In this paper, the fabrication of previously unreported graphene hydrogel hybrid electro-active scaffolds capable of controlled small molecule release is presented. Pristine ball-milled graphene sheets are incorporated into a three dimensional macroporous hydrogel matrix to obtain hybrid gels with enhanced mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. These electroactive scaffolds demonstrate controlled drug release in a pulsatile fashion upon the ON/OFF application of low electrical voltages, at low graphene concentrations (0.2 mg mL(-1)) and by maintaining their structural integrity. Moreover, the in vivo performance of these electroactive scaffolds to release drug molecules without any resistive heating is demonstrated. In this study, an illustration of how the heat dissipating properties of graphene can provide significant and previously unreported advantages in the design of electroresponsive hydrogels, able to maintain optimal functionality by overcoming adverse effects due to unwanted heating, is offered.
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