Logo: to the web site of Uppsala University

The influence of nanostructure on the cytocompatibility of cellulose films is analyzed providing insight into how physicochemical properties of surface modified microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and Cladophora nanocellulose (CC) affect the materials cytocompatibility. CC is modified through TEMPO-mediated oxidation and glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (EPTMAC) condensation to obtain anionic and cationic nanocellulose samples respectively, while anionic and cationic MFC samples are obtained by carboxymethylation and EPTMAC condensation respectively. Films of unmodified, anionic and cationic MFC and CC are prepared by vacuum filtration and characterized in terms of specific surface area, pore size distribution, degree of crystallinity, surface charge and water content. Human dermal fibroblasts are exposed to culture medium extracts of the films in an indirect contact cytotoxicity test. Moreover, cell adhesion and viability are evaluated in a direct contact assay and the effects of the physicochemical properties on cell behavior are discussed. In the indirect cytotoxicity test no toxic leachables are detected, evidencing that the CC and MFC materials are non-cytotoxic, independently ofthe chemical treatment that they have been subjected to. The direct contact tests show that carboxymethylated-MFC presents a more cytocompatible profile than unmodified and trimethylammonium-MFC. TEMPO-CC promotes fibroblast adhesion and presents cell viability comparable to the results obtained with the tissue culture material Thermanox. We hypothesize that the distinct aligned nanofiber structure present in the TEMPO-CC films is responsible for the improved cell adhesion. Thus, by controlling the surface properties of cellulose nanofibers, such as chemistry, charge, and orientation, cell adhesion properties can be promoted.

The effects of polymerization conditions, rinsing, and storage on composites composed of polypyrrole (PPy) and Cladophora nanocellulose in terms of purity, chemical composition, conductivity, and electroactivity were investigated using conductivity measurements, cyclic voltammetry, FTIR-ATR, XPS, and ICP-AES. A clear correlation between rinsing volume and PPy degradation was found using water- or NaCl-rinsing solutions as evidenced by conductivity and electroactivity losses. It was further found, through FTIR-ATR as well as XPS-measurements, that this degradation was caused by incorporation of hydroxyl groups in the PPy-layer. The extent of degradation correlated with a shift in the FTIR-ATR peak around 1300 cm(-1), showing that FTIR-ATR may be used as a quick diagnostic tool to evaluate the extent of degradation. By the use of acidic rinsing solution, this degradation effect was eliminated and resulted in superior samples in terms of both conductivity and electroactivity and also in a more efficient removal of reactants. Upon ambient storage, over a period of 200 days, a gradual decrease in conductivity was found for initially highly conductive samples. The electroactivity, on the other hand, was relatively unaffected by storage, showing that conductivity measurements alone are ineffective to determine the degree of polymer degradation if the water content is not controlled. Also, FTIR-ATR measurements indicated that the oxidation state did not change to any large extent upon storage and that only minor degradation of PPy occurred. The results presented herein thus offer valuable guidelines on how to develop simple and reliable postsynthesis treatments of conducting polymer paper composites with performance fulfilling requirements on stability, electroactivity, and purity in applications such as environmentally friendly energy storage devices and biomedical applications.

Composites of polypyrrole and nanocellulose (PPy/nanocellulose) have a high potential as electrodes in energy-storage devices and as membranes for electrochemically controlled ion-exchange systems. In the present work, it is demonstrated that such composites with 42-72% porosity can be produced by using microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) prepared through enzymatic pretreatment or carboxymethylation, or by using different amounts of MFC in the composite synthesis. Together with previous work, this shows that the porosity of PPy/nanocellulose composites can be tailored from 30 to 98% with increments of similar to 10%. Employing the full porosity range of the composites, it is demonstrated that the electrochemical oxidation rate of the materials depends on their porosity due to limitations in the counter ion diffusion process. By tailoring the porosities of PPy/nanocellulose composites, the electrochemical properties can consequently be controlled. The latter provides new possibilities for the manufacturing of electrochemically controlled ion-extraction and energy storage devices with optimized volumetric energy and power densities.

Composites of nanocellulose and the conductive polymer polypyrrole (PPy) are presented as candidates for a new generation of haemodialysis membranes. The composites may combine active ion exchange with passive ultrafiltration, and the large surface area (about 80 m² g⁻¹) could potentially provide compact dialysers. Herein, the haemocompatibility of the novel membranes and the feasibility of effectively removing small uraemic toxins by potential-controlled ion exchange were studied. The thrombogenic properties of the composites were improved by applying a stable heparin coating. In terms of platelet adhesion and thrombin generation, the composites were comparable with haemocompatible polymer polysulphone, and regarding complement activation, the composites were more biocompatible than commercially available membranes. It was possible to extract phosphate and oxalate ions from solutions with physiological pH and the same tonicity as that of the blood. The exchange capacity of the materials was found to be 600 ± 26 and 706 ± 31 μmol g⁻¹ in a 0.1 M solution (pH 7.4) and in an isotonic solution of phosphate, respectively. The corresponding values with oxalate were 523 ± 5 in a 0.1 M solution (pH 7.4) and 610 ± 1 μmol g⁻¹ in an isotonic solution. The heparinized PPy–cellulose composite is consequently a promising haemodialysis material, with respect to both potential-controlled extraction of small uraemic toxins and haemocompatibility.