Síntese sustentável de grafeno e análise de nanocompósitos à base de PLA: impactos da funcionalização no polímero e potenciais aplicações em tratamentos tópicos contra câncer

Abstract

Due to their greater ease of processing and because they present a set of mechanical, chemical, and biological properties, biopolymers have been widely explored in biomedical applications. The use of biopolymers has been boosted due to the advancement of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, in particular, 3D printing methods by fusion and filament deposition (FDM) and resin printing by stereolithography (SLA). Adding other materials to the polymer structure can improve their properties, making them more versatile in applications. In this sense, graphene has proven to be an excellent candidate, as it has outstanding mechanical, electrical, and thermal conduction properties and can modulate the physicochemical properties of polymers. However, one of the difficulties associated with implementing graphene in biological applications is due to its synthesis since strong acids are used in a large part of the procedures present in the literature. One of the main objectives of this work was developing a green synthesis process. Furthermore, using filament (FDM) and resin (SLA) 3D printers, samples were produced from filament and resin based on Polylactic Acid (PLA) and functionalized with graphene to investigate the changes caused by inserting the material into the polymer structure and the possibility of implementing this composite in topical applications by reducing the growth viability of cancer cells. To this end, immersion tests in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF), cell culture, and cell viability were carried out. The XRD and SEM/EDS results performed after immersion showed the formation of Hydroxyapatite (HA) on the surface of the PLA and PLAG filament samples. Based on the results of Raman, AFM/KPFM, and Vickers Microhardness, it was found that the addition of graphene promotes structural, morphological, and electrical changes, which culminate in changes in the final properties of the material, which results in changes in the degree of interaction of the cells with the surface of the material.