Polypyrrole-coated electrospun poly(lactic acid) fibrous scaffold: effects of coating on electrical conductivity and neural cell growth.

Neuronal activities play critical roles in both neurogenesis and neural regeneration. In that sense, electrically conductive and biocompatible biomaterial scaffolds can be applied in various applications of neural tissue engineering. In this study, we fabricated a novel biomaterial for neural tissue engineering applications by coating electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers with a conducting polymer, polypyrole (PPy), via admicellar polymerization.

Silver nanoparticle-embedded poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) hydrogel dressing: gamma-ray synthesis and biological evaluation.

Silver nanoparticle (nAg)-embedded poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) hydrogels, to be used as antibacterial wound dressings, were prepared by γ-irradiation at various doses: 25, 35, and 45 kGy. The formation and characteristics of the silver nanoparticles were investigated with a UV-vis spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray. The hydrogels were characterized for physical and biological properties.