Functionalising natural polymers with alkoxysilane coupling agents for tissue engineering applications

摘要

Solution state and solid state NMR techniques were used to show that even under acidic conditions the epoxide ring of GPTMS can react with a primary amine, such as in chitosan, to form a secondary amine or a carboxylic acid, as in γPGA, to form an ester, albeit with low efficiency. To achieve controlled degradation and good mechanical properties, good covalent bonding is necessary. Polymers can be chosen or designed to contain appropriate functional groups for functionalisation and the reaction conditions optimised to achieve hybrid materials for tissue regeneration.