3D Fabrication and Characterisation of Electrically Receptive PCL-Graphene Scaffolds for Bioengineered In Vitro Tissue Models.
Mary Josephine McIvor, Fionn Ó Maolmhuaidh, Aidan Meenagh, Shahzad Hussain, Gourav Bhattacharya, Sam Fishlock, Joanna Ward, Aoife McFerran, Jonathan G Acheson, Paul A Cahill, Robert Forster, David J McEneaney, Adrian R Boyd, Brian J Meenan
Author Information
Mary Josephine McIvor: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK. ORCID
Fionn Ó Maolmhuaidh: The National Centre for Sensor Research, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland. ORCID
Aidan Meenagh: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK.
Shahzad Hussain: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK. ORCID
Gourav Bhattacharya: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK.
Sam Fishlock: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK. ORCID
Joanna Ward: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK. ORCID
Aoife McFerran: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK.
Jonathan G Acheson: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK. ORCID
Paul A Cahill: School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland. ORCID
Robert Forster: The National Centre for Sensor Research, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland.
David J McEneaney: Cardiovascular Research Unit, Craigavon Area Hospital, 68 Lurgan Road, Portadown, Co., Armagh BT63 5QQ, UK.
Adrian R Boyd: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK. ORCID
Brian J Meenan: Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC), School of Engineering, Ulster University, 2-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AP, UK. ORCID
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a well-established biomaterial, offering extensive mechanical attributes along with low cost, biocompatibility, and biodegradability; however, it lacks hydrophilicity, bioactivity, and electrical conductivity. Advances in 3D fabrication technologies allow for these sought-after attributes to be incorporated into the scaffolds during fabrication. In this study, solvent-free Fused Deposition Modelling was employed to fabricate 3D scaffolds from PCL with increasing amounts of graphene (G), in the concentrations of 0.75, 1.5, 3, and 6% (/). The PCL+G scaffolds created were characterised physico-chemically, electrically, and biologically. Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that the scaffold outer surface contained both PCL and G, with the G component relatively uniformly distributed. Water contact angle measurement demonstrated that as the amount of G in the scaffold increases (0.75-6% /), hydrophobicity decreases; mean contact angle for pure PCL was recorded as 107.22 ± 9.39°, and that with 6% G (PCL+6G) as 77.56 ± 6.75°. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy demonstrated a marked increase in electroactivity potential with increasing G concentration. Cell viability results indicated that even the smallest addition of G (0.75%) resulted in a significant improvement in electroactivity potential and bioactivity compared with that for pure PCL, with 1.5 and 3% exhibiting the highest statistically significant increases in cell proliferation.
