Silk ProteinsEnriched Nanocomposite Hydrogels Based on Modified MMT Clay and Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane Sulfonic Acid) Display Favorable Properties for Soft Tissue Engineering.

Due to their remarkable structures and properties, three-dimensional hydrogels and nanostructured clay particles have been extensively studied and have shown a high potential for tissue engineering as solutions for tissue defects. In this study, four types of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid/montmorillonite (HEMA/AMPSA/MMT) hydrogels enriched with sericin, and fibroin were prepared and studied in the context of regenerative medicine for soft tissue regenerative medicine. Our aim was to obtain crosslinked hydrogel structures using modified montmorillonite clay as a crosslinking agent.

Nanocomposite foams based on flexible biobased thermoplastic polyurethane and ZnO nanoparticles as potential wound dressing materials.

In the present study biobased and soft thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), obtained by polymerization from fatty acids, was used to produce TPU/ZnO nanocomposite foams by thermally induced phase separation method (TIPS). The produced foams were characterized and evaluated regarding their potential uses as wound dressing materials. The structure and morphology of the prepared flexible polymer foams with different content of ZnO nanofiller (1, 2, 5 and 10 wt% related to the polymer) were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM).