Electrospun PVA-ZEN Graphene Nanofibers for Smart Bandages

摘要

We explored the potential of graphite-derived ZEN graphene powder in fabricating nanofibers for wound healing. Zero, 5, 10, and 15 mg of ZEN graphene in 7 wt% PVA solution were electrospun into nanofibers; the resulting nanofibers were characterized for their spectral fingerprints and their morphological and mechanical properties. All the nanofibers were deposited onto a grounded collector, except for the nanofiber from the 5 mg graphene in PVA, which was deposited on both the collector and the acrylic surface that covers the electrospinning setup. The diameters of the nanofibers from zero, 5, 10, and 15 mg graphene in PVA were $190pm 62, , 290pm 54, , 193pm 56$, and $237pm 71 ext{nm}$, respectively. The peaks for Fourier transform infrared spectra at 2830 cm^{−1 for nanofibers from 15 mg graphene in PVA and 2834 cm−1 for nanofibers from 5 and 10 mg graphene in PVA confirm the incorporation of ZEN graphene into the nanofibers. Raman spectra further verified the incorporation of ZEN graphene through higher intensity of D and G band shown in nanofibers from 15 mg graphene in PVA compared to plain PVA nanofibers. We have also shown that the tensile strength of unwoven nanofiber mats from 5 and 10 mg of graphene in PVA was higher than that of nanofibers containing only PVA. However, nanofibers from 15 mg graphene in PVA recorded a lower tensile strength than those with 5 and 10 mg graphene in PVA. Interestingly, nanofibers from 5 mg graphene in PVA showed strain value of 58% that matched the strain value of human skin, which ranged between 35 and 115 %. The results show that the amount of ZEN graphene in PVA can affect nanofiber morphology and mechanical properties and has potential for use in smart bandages.}