| Description: |
Polymer composites have witnessed increased research interest in the last decades, and the applications of these materials include drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound bandages and dressings. Numerous polymers have been studied to fabricate the ideal wound dressing. Making these polymer composites biocompatible, porous, and bioactive with high absorption capabilities is critical to guide cell growth and differentiation and limit their detrimental effects on incorporated therapeutic molecules. This research work aims to address shortcomings of available wound dressings by fabricating a biocompatible, porous, bioactive, and antimicrobial dressing using chitosan (CTS) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) polymers incorporated with zinc-doped halloysites (ZnHNT). In line with the points mentioned earlier, three distinct objectives are proposed in this research that involve using natural biopolymers and nanomaterials. The first objective involves the fabrication and characterization of chitosan/carboxymethylcellulose composite incorporated with zinc-coated halloysites (HNTs) via the solution-gel method, without the use of chemical crosslinkers. Here, the individual biomaterial components used in this research were tested for their inherent antibacterial properties while determining the minimum inhibitory concentration of each constituent biomaterial. A modified physical crosslinking method was used to fabricate a hydrogel biocomposite comprising CTS, CMC, and zinc-coated HNT. The physical characteristics of the hydrogel were assessed via rheological studies. SEM and digital microscopy were used to observe zinc-coated halloysites and the character of the hydrogel produced. Additional characterization tests carried out in this study include Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, x-ray fluorescence, and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that zinc doped HNTs, when loaded with a low dose of gentamicin sulfate, stagnated the growth of gram-positive and gram-negative ... |