Synthesis of conductive carbon aerogels decorated with β-tricalcium phosphate nanocrystallites

Tevlek, A., Atya, A. M.N., Almemar, M., Duman, M., Gokcen, D., Ganin, A. Y. , Yiu, H. H.P. and Aydin, H. M. (2020) Synthesis of conductive carbon aerogels decorated with β-tricalcium phosphate nanocrystallites. Scientific Reports, 10, 5758. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-62822-1) (PMID:32238872) (PMCID:PMC7113289)

Abstract

There has been substantial interest in research aimed at conductive carbon-based supports since the discovery that the electrical stimulus can have dramatic effect on cell behavior. Among these carbon-aerogels decorated with biocompatible polymers were suggested as future materials for tissue engineering. However, high reaction temperatures required for the synthesis of the aerogels tend to impair the stability of the polymeric networks. Herein, we report a synthetic route towards carbon-aerogel scaffolds decorated with biocompatible ceramic nanoparticles of tricalcium phosphate. The composites can be prepared at temperature as high as 1100 °C without significant effect on the morphology of the composite which is comparable with the original aerogel framework. Although the conductivity of the composites tends to decrease with the increasing ceramic content the measured conductivity values are similar to those previously reported on polymer-functionalized carbon-aerogels. The cell culture study revealed that the developed constructs support cell proliferation and provide good cell attachment suggesting them as potentially good candidates for tissue-engineering applications.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This study was supported by Hacettepe University (Project No: 11817).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ganin, Dr Alexey
• Authors: Tevlek, A., Atya, A. M.N., Almemar, M., Duman, M., Gokcen, D., Ganin, A. Y., Yiu, H. H.P., and Aydin, H. M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry
• Journal Name: Scientific Reports
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• ISSN (Online): 2045-2322
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Scientific Reports 10: 5758
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License