Membranes (Oct 2021)

Matching the Cellulose/Silica Films Surface Properties for Design of Biomaterials That Modulate Extracellular Matrix

  • Adina-Maria Dobos,
  • Elena-Laura Ursu,
  • Luiza-Madalina Gradinaru,
  • Marius Dobromir,
  • Anca Filimon

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11110840
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 11
p. 840

Abstract

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The surface properties of composite films are important to know for many applications from the industrial domain to the medical domain. The physical and chemical characteristics of film/membrane surfaces are totally different from those of the bulk due to the surface segregation of the low surface energy components. Thus, the surfaces of cellulose acetate/silica composite films are analyzed in order to obtain information on the morphology, topography and wettability through atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle investigations. The studied composite films present different surface properties depending on the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) content from the casting solutions. Up to a content of 1.5 wt.% TEOS, the surface roughness and hydrophobicity increase, after which there is a decrease in these parameters. This behavior suggests that up to a critical amount of TEOS, the results are influenced by the morphology and topographical features, after which a major role seems to be played by surface chemistry—increasing the oxygenation surfaces. The morphological and chemical details and also the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity characteristics are discussed in the attempt to design biological surfaces with optimal wettability properties and possibility of application in tissue engineering.

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