Materials (Feb 2020)

Chitosan-Functionalized Graphene Nanocomposite Films: Interfacial Interplay and Biological Activity

  • Natalia Wrońska,
  • Aicha Anouar,
  • Mounir El Achaby,
  • Katarzyna Zawadzka,
  • Marta Kędzierska,
  • Katarzyna Miłowska,
  • Nadia Katir,
  • Khalid Draoui,
  • Sylwia Różalska,
  • Ireneusz Piwoński,
  • Maria Bryszewska,
  • Abdelkrim El Kadib,
  • Katarzyna Lisowska

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13040998
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 4
p. 998

Abstract

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Graphene oxide (GO) has recently captured tremendous attention, but only few functionalized graphene derivatives were used as fillers, and insightful studies dealing with the thermal, mechanical, and biological effects of graphene surface functionalization are currently missing in the literature. Herein, reduced graphene oxide (rGO), phosphorylated graphene oxide (PGO), and trimethylsilylated graphene oxide (SiMe3GO) were prepared by the post-modification of GO. The electrostatic interactions of these fillers with chitosan afforded colloidal solutions that provide, after water evaporation, transparent and flexible chitosan-modified graphene films. All reinforced chitosan−graphene films displayed improved mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial (S. aureus, E. coli) properties compared to native chitosan films. Hemolysis, intracellular catalase activity, and hemoglobin oxidation were also observed for these materials. This study shows that graphene functionalization provides a handle for tuning the properties of graphene-reinforced nanocomposite films and customizing their functionalities.

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