COMPÓSITOS PVDF-HIDROXIAPATITA PRODUZIDOS POR ELETROFIAÇÃO PARA APLICAÇÃO BIOMÉDICA

Abstract

In order to a biomaterial act effectively in biological systems, as an aid in the treatment and healing of damaged or lost tissues, it is necessary that it be able to mimic the properties of the body's natural tissues in its various aspects (chemical, physical, mechanical and surface). These characteristics influence cell adhesion and proliferation at the implant site and are crucial to the success of the treatment for which the biomaterial will be required. With this, more and more new materials and techniques have been used in order to obtain biomaterials with specific properties which meet the different demands of biological tissues. In this context, the electrospinning process has gained prominence. Through this method it is possible to obtain micro and nanometric fibers from polymeric solutions, in which other materials can be incorporated with the objective of granting properties to these membranes. As a result, there is a possibility to obtain composites capable of acting as a support in the regeneration of living tissues. Thus, in this work, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was used as a polymeric matrix for making piezoelectric membranes, exploring the formation of the β phase of the polymer (polar phase with piezoelectric properties). Micro and nanometric hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles were incorporated as a dispersed phase in this polymeric matrix, to develop multifunctional composite membranes (PVDF-HAp) also with bioactive properties. The results obtained demonstrated that it was possible to produce membranes containing micro and nanofibers of the composite by electrospinning. The HAp particles have good dispersion in the polymeric matrix and a predominant phase of PVDF present in the membranes for a polar phase β. The composite growth of apatite on its surface after 21 days of immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). Tests carried out in human fibroblast cultures revealed that the membranes do not have a cytotoxic character. Therefore, the composite developed in this work has great potential to be used in the future in biomedical applications.