Tunability of polycaprolactone hydrophilicity by carboxymethyl cellulose loading

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science Vol. 135; no. 14
• Main Authors: Alemán‐Domínguez, M. E., Ortega, Z., Benítez, A. N., Vilariño‐Feltrer, G., Gómez‐Tejedor, J. A., Vallés‐Lluch, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 10-04-2018
• Subjects: Biocompatibility; Biological effects; biomedical applications; Biomedical materials; Carboxymethyl cellulose; Cellulose; Composite materials; Contact angle; Degradation; Hydrophilicity; Materials science; Polycaprolactone; Polymers; polysaccharides; Pressure molding; swelling; thermogravimetric analysis (TGA); thermoplastics; Toxicity
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/app.46134

ABSTRACT
Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is herein proposed as additive in polycaprolactone (PCL) matrices to obtain composites with tunable hydrophilicity. This composite material can be obtained by compression molding. The thermogravimetric degradation profile, the FTIR spectra, values of the water contact angle (WCA), water and phosphate‐buffered saline uptake values, and the results of a cytotoxicity assessment are presented herein. The concentrations of CMC in the groups of samples are 0, 2, 5, 10, and 20%. The WCA on the prewetted state decreases proportionally to the concentration of the additive. These results evidence the possibility of obtaining a PCL‐based composite with tunable hydrophilicity. Besides, the biological assessment does not reveal any cytotoxic effects. Therefore, the addition of CMC entails an innovative strategy to control the water affinity of PCL in biomedical applications where such feature is required to improve diffusion of biological medium through, or accelerate degradation by hydrolysis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46134.
Carboxymethyl cellulose loading can be used as a strategy to increase the hydrophilicity of polycaprolactone matrices. It is possible to tailor the water affinity of the matrix by modifying the content of this additive. Besides, the composites do not show a cytotoxic effect, so they are promising for biomedical applications.