Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Formulation And Testing Of Biodegradable Polymeric Coating On Zinc Wires In Cardiovascular Stent Application, Avishan Arab Shomali

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Biodegradable and biocompatible poly (L-lactic-acid) (PLLA) coating was applied on a modified zinc (Zn) substrate by dip coating, with the intent to delay the bio-corrosion and slow the degradation rate of zinc substrate. 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) propyl methacrylate (MPS) was used for modification of the zinc substrate for promoting the adhesion between the metallic substrate and the polymer coating. It is hypothesized that the delay in Zn biodegradation could be useful in the first several weeks to prevent the early loss of mechanical integrity of the endovascular stent and to improve the healing process of the diseased vascular site. The PLLA coating …

Structural Characteristics And Corrosion Behavior Of Bio-Degradable Zn-Li Alloys In Stent Application, Shan Zhao

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Zinc has begun to be studied as a bio-degradable material in recent years due to its excellent corrosion rate and optimal biocompatibility. Unfortunately, pure Zn’s intrinsic ultimate tensile strength (UTS; below 120 MPa) is lower than the benchmark (about 300 MPa) for cardiovascular stent materials, raising concerns about sufficient strength to support the blood vessel. Thus, modifying pure Zn to improve its mechanical properties is an important research topic.

In this dissertation project, a new Zn-Li alloy has been developed to retain the outstanding corrosion behavior from Zn while improving the mechanical characteristics and uniform biodegradation once it is implanted …

A 3d Biomimetic Scaffold Using Electrospinning For Tissue Engineering Applications, Samerender Nagam Hanumantharao

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Electrospinning holds great promise for designing functional 3D biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. The technique allows for the reproducible fabrication of 3D scaffolds with control over the porosity and thickness. In this work, a novel method for the synthesis of a 3D electroactive scaffold using electrospinning from polycaprolactone (PCL), Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) and Polyaniline (PANI) is reported. Additional scaffolds involving different morphologies of PCL, PCL-PVDF and PCL-PANI-PVDF were also fabricated and evaluated. The scaffolds were characterized using electron microscopy to visualize the morphologies. Infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm the presence of polymers and their respective phases in the …

Design Of Robust Hydrogel Based On Mussel-Inspired Chemistry, Yuan Liu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The structure of catechol is found in mussel adhesive proteins and contributed to both wet-resistant adhesion and cohesive curing of these proteins. A synthetic nano-silicate, Laponite was incorporated into catechol-containing hydrogels and the hydrogel network-bound catechol formed strong reversible interfacial interaction with Laponite. The contribution of incorporated catechol-Laponite reversible interfacial interactions to the mechanics of hydrogels constructed by different strategies was studied. In the first strategy, Laponite and catechol were introduced into the double network hydrogel (DN) via the free radical co-polymerization of a catechol-containing monomer, backbone monomer, and crosslinker. The introduction of catechol-Laponite interactions significantly improved the compressive strength …