Synthesis and characterization of a novel in-situ maleic acid cross- linked electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/hydroxyapatite nanofibers

Synthesis and characterization of a novel in-situ maleic acid cross- linked electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/hydroxyapatite nanofibers

In this research, hydroxyapatite (HA)-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite nanofibers were synthesized through electrospinning process. For this purpose, a solution of PVA containing a certain amount of HA powder was prepared and then electrospun. In addition, in-situ crosslinking of the PVA/HA solution using a definite concentration of maleic acid anhydrous (MA) to prepare electrospun nanofibers was performed. The effect of this addition on the morphology and chemical groups of obtained electrospun nanofibers was evaluated and compared with that of HA/PVA nanofibers. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) represented that both types of nanofibers showed a uniform morphology without formation of any beads. The selected energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) analysis confirmed the presence of HA in the composition of the nanofibers. Furthermore, the average fiber diameter was decreased from 370 nm to 250 nm for PVA/HA and MA crosslinked PVA/HA nanofibers, respectively. Crosslinking PVA with MA was confirmed by FTIR analysis. In overall, we suggest an acceptable applicability of the MA crosslinked PVA/HA nanofibers for bone tissue engineering.