Organic aerogels based on bacterial cellulose and silk fibroin for applications in engineering and biomedicine

• Grant number: 16/07671-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2016
• End date: July 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Sidney José Lima Ribeiro
• Grantee: Otavio Henrique Candido Clemente
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/22942-6 - Supercapacitors based on carbon aerogels: comparison between bacterial cellulose based and resorcinol based aerogels, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Aerogels will be prepared by supercritical drying CO2. Bacterial cellulose (BC), Bacterial Cellulose- Silk Fibroin composites (BC-F), and also Carbon (C) aerogels will be prepared in membranes and tubes morphologies. BC and BC-F membranes and tubes will be first prepared following the methodology developed at our labs in culture medium f Gluoconacetobacter xylinus bacteria and extracting firoin from Bombyx mori cocoons. Afterward, aerogels will be obtained by supercritical drying. Carbon materials will be obtained by the pyrolysis of BC and BC-F aerogels. Characterization techniques will be vibrational spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermal conductivity e x-rays diffraction. Aiming future applications in tissue engineering, viability, adhesion, and proliferation tests will be performed with intravenous endothelial cells line EA.hy926.