| dc.description.abstract | This PhD is an “Industrial-PhD”, carried out in collaboration between University of Basilicata and
LUCART S.p.A (Porcari, Lucca, Italy), in that case with the plant located at Avigliano (Potenza, Italy).
The scholarship was financed by “Regione Basilicata” and the working time was shared between
the company and the University.
The goal of the thesis was the development of eco-sustainable methodologies for the production
of innovative materials based on cellulose fibers.
As a matter of fact, the aim of the work was to produce cross-linked electrospun hybrid scaffolds
composed of gelatin/poly(D,L-lactic) acid (PDLLA), gelatin/PDLLA/cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs),
and gelatin/PDLLA/cellulose nanocrystals/elastin as wound dressing materials. Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high-performance liquid chromatography
demonstrated the complete embedding of each component in the hybrid scaffolds. The degree of
cross-linking was quantified by the 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid assay, and attenuated total
reflectance spectroscopy revealed the effectiveness of the cross-linking reaction. Notably, the
interconnected porous structure revealed in un-cross-linked scaffolds persisted even after cross linking. Scaffolds were characterized in water through their contact angle showing total
wettability. We investigated their mechanical properties by uniaxial tensile testing, which showed
that even in the dry state, nanocellulose- and elastin-containing scaffolds exhibit higher elongation
at rupture compared to those with pure gelatin/PDLLA. Therefore, we succeeded in tuning the
toughness of the scaffolds by modulating the composition. In order to use scaffolds as medical
devices, we assayed fibroblasts on scaffold extraction media, indicating that they were
noncytotoxic. Finally, the attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts on the surface of different
scaffolds were evaluated.
During the six months spent at Centre inter universitaire des matériaux (CIRIMAT) of Université
Paul Sabatier-Toulouse (France), electrospun scaffolds at different CNCs percentage (w/w) were
produced and thermal stability, physical structure and their mechanical behavior were studied.
The results suggested that the electrospun scaffolds are characterized by improved thermal and
mechanical properties in comparison with bulk materials. We found that the scaffolds containing
3% (w/w) of CNCs showed best hydrophilic and thermo-mechanical properties. ... [edited by Author] | it_IT |
