Poly (vinyl alcohol)/Graphene Nanocomposite Hydrogel Scaffolds for Control of Cell Adhesion

Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites is prepared by the immersion of PVA/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites in the reducing agent aqueous solution. The PVA/graphene nanocomposites can be used as scaffold after treatment by chemical crosslinking agents. The surface hydrophilicity of the nanocomposite scaffolds decreased with the addition of GO or rGO by measuring the contact angles of scaffolds. The electrical conductivity of PVA/rGO nanocomposite scaffold increased with rGO content increased. The highest conductivity of PVA/rGO nanocomposite scaffolds with 10 wt% rGO could reach to 12.16 x 10(-3) S/m. The NIH-3T3 fibroblasts attach and grow well on the surface of PVA/rGO nanocomposite scaffolds with increasing the content of rGO. The number of cells obviously increases on the PVA/rGO nanocomposite scaffolds, especially, at 5 wt% and 10 wt% rGO. Furthermore, a good level of conductivity and a variation in the surface property of the PVA/rGO nanocomposite scaffolds have affected NIH-3T3 fibroblasts grow.