Preparation, characterization, and in vitro bioactivity study of glutaraldehyde crosslinked chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/ascorbic acid-MWCNTs bionanocomposites

In this study, the bioactivity of glutaraldehyde (GA)-crosslinked chitosan (CS)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/ascorbic acid (ASC)-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) nanocomposites (NCs) was investigated. These NCs were fabricated via incorporation of 3, 5, and 7 wt% of ASC-MWCNTs into CS/PVA blend using ultrasonication. The polymeric matrix was crosslinked using a low amount of GA to fabricate completely water-insoluble NCs with high tolerance against the dynamic and static stress of body fluid environment. The synthesized NCs were characterized via various techniques. The field emission scanning electron microscopy studies showed the homogenous distribution of nanofiller throughout the matrix. The results of the thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the fabricated NCs have greater thermal stability than GA-crosslinked CS/PVA. The bioactivity was studied using in vitro test via immersion of samples in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 30 days. The results showed that the GA-crosslinked CS/PVA/ASC-MWCNTs NC 3 wt% has good hydroxyapatite-forming ability in SBF solution. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.