Biocomposite‐based fibrous scaffolds of natural rubber/polyhydroxybutyrate blend reinforced with 45S5 bioglass aiming at biomedical applications

Abstract The solution blow spinning technique was used to fabricate a new biocomposite fibrous mat consisting of natural rubber (NR) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) bioblend, with various loads of 45S5 bioglass (BG) particles. According to SEM analysis, NR fibers exhibited ribbon‐like morphologies, whereas the addition of PHB resulted in improved fiber formation and a reduction in their diameter. In NR‐PHB/BG biocomposites with varying BG loadings, typical thermal degradation events of PHB (stage i) and NR (stage ii) were observed. In comparison with pure PHB, the TG/DTG curves of NR‐PHB/BG specimens revealed a lower stage i degradation peak. Such an outcome is possibly due to the fact that PHB in the NR‐PHB fibers is located predominantly at the surface, that is, PHB is more susceptible to thermal degradation. The NR‐PHB/BG biocomposite possessed an increased stiffness due to the addition of PHB and BG, resulting in an increased stress and a decreased strain at rupture compared to the pure NR and NR‐PHB mats. DMA analysis revealed two well‐defined regions, above and below the glass transition temperature (T_g), for the storage modulus (E') of the NR‐PHB/BG specimens. The values of E' were in both regions for NR‐PHB/BG specimens increased at higher BG content. The measured tanδ = E″/E' was used to determine the T_g value for all specimens, with T_g found to be in the −49 to −46°C range. Finally, NR‐PHB/BG biocomposite fibrous were proven noncytotoxic by in‐vitro testing on fibroblasts. These biocomposites enhanced cell growth, holding great promise for tissue engineering applications. Highlights Solution blow spinning technique was used to produce three‐phase biocomposite specimens. NR‐PHB/BG fibrous mat specimens with a diameter of 9–10 μm were obtained. Although high BG loads are applied to the NR‐PHB/BG specimens, they remain elastic and flexible. Fibrous biocomposite mats enhance cell growth and possess great potential for tissue engineering.