Elisa Piatti

visiting PhD student, Polytechnic of Turin, Italy

 

“Synthesis and characterization of electrospun composite fibers containing antibacterial and antioxidant bioactive glass powders”

Supervisor in Erlangen: Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

 

The main aim of the project is to develop and characterize novel bioactive, antibacterial and antioxidant fibrous composites using the electrospinning technique. For the preparation of these fibers, suitable biocompatible polymers (like poly-ε(caprolactone), benign solvents (such as acetic acid) and ion doped bioactive glass powders will be used [1, 2]. After a careful optimization of the electrospinning parameters, morphology, chemistry, wettability, and mechanical performance of the final composites will be evaluated in the FAU Institute of Biomaterials.  After these preliminary results, in vitro bioactivity, in vitro degradation, biological properties and antibacterial assessment of the composite fibers will be analyzed. This project is funded by the European Virtual Institute of Knowledge-based Multifunctional Materials (KMM-VIN)  and is part of the wide collaboration between professor Aldo R. Boccaccini at FAU and prof. Enrica Verné and Dr. Marta Miola at Politecnico di Torino (in Italy).

 

[1] L. Liverani and A. R. Boccaccini, “Versatile production of poly(Epsilon-caprolactone) fibers by electrospinning using benign solvents,” Nanomaterials, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 1–15, 2016, doi: 10.3390/nano6040075.
[2] M. Miola, J. Massera, A. Cochis, A. Kumar, L. Rimondini, and E. Verné, “Tellurium: A new active element for innovative multifunctional bioactive glasses,” Mater. Sci. Eng. C, vol. 123, pp. 1–12, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2021.111957.