Biodegradable and Antimicrobial ZnO/Bioactive Glass Incorporated Electrospun Polycaprolactone Membranes: Synthesis, Characterization, and In-Vitro Studies

Medical textiles have a huge market owing to their widespread application areas ranging from the hospital, personal hygiene, and healthcare sectors. Researchers worldwide have an active interest to study the correlation between the technological, chemical, biological, and environmental effects of these textiles. The proposed work is aimed to produce nanocomposite polymer-based textiles with promising properties of biodegradability and antimicrobial efficacy, as well as adequate mechanical and thermal stability. Polymeric films of polycaprolactone (PCL), a widely used biocompatible, biodegradable, cost-effective polymer, were synthesized by electrospinning technique from its acetonic solution. Further, ZnO nanoparticles and cobalt-doped bioactive glass (Co-BG) were incorporated in the PCL matrix as effective fillers to increase the composite's environmental biodegradability and antimicrobial properties. The synthesized composite films were also tested for cytotoxicity against fibroblast cells and found to exhibit proliferative action, thereby signifying their biocompatibility. Therefore, the proposed nanocomposite polymeric films can become standard alternatives to commercially available medical textiles, with the added advantage of environmental degradability.