Improved mechanical strength of porous chitosan scaffold by graphene coatings

Abstract Chitosan (CS) scaffolds coated by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) film were prepared and characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and a dynamic mechanical analyze. The results exhibited that the rGO coating with wrinkled structure attached on pore wall of CS scaffolds and formed a rough and irregular surfaces. The compressive mechanical strength increased with increasing graphene oxide dispersion (0, 0.02, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/ml) and the maximum value of about 0.707 MPa was achieved at the concentration of 1.0 mg/ml, 1.26-fold greater compared with CS scaffold. The porosity and pore diameter of the scaffold did not change much and the composite scaffold might be considered as potential platform for tissue engineering applications.