Applied research applied to the biomedical area: piezoelectric properties and structural characteristics of polymeric scaffolds with bioactive fillers for tissue regeneration

• Grant number: 23/00046-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: December 22, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Ana Rita Morales
• Grantee: Ana Rita Morales
• Host Investigator: Fernando Jorge Monteiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade do Porto (UP), Portugal

Abstract

This project is motivated by the promising results previously obtained in the production of electrospun and expanded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) membranes with the potential for the manufacture of scaffolds for the recovery of bone tissues. For this application, structures with high porosity and high surface area are required and the electrospinning process and expansion with supercritical fluid allow the production of 3D structures with these characteristics. Previous studies of an unprecedented process by combining the two techniques: electrospinning of membranes followed by expansion by the supercritical CO2 process resulted in very porous structures, promising for applications in the medical field. A breakthrough would be to produce electrospun and expanded scaffolds with the incorporation of bioactive fillers: hydroxyapatite, bioglass, calcium phosphates, and their combinations. The incorporation of zinc oxide should be considered for its bactericidal and piezoelectric properties. Bone is a piezoelectric material and electrical signals are part of the bone tissue regeneration process so piezoelectric material structures are an alternative that has been studied, but it is still little explored. In this context, the interaction of multidisciplinary knowledge in the area of materials/processes with biomedicine is intended. The proposal resides in a 3-month internship at the institution i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, to learn about advanced techniques and technologies in tissue engineering and establish a collaborative partnership for future projects. (AU)