Date Approved

4-20-2022

Embargo Period

4-21-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Chemical Engineering

College

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

Advisor

Iman Noshadi, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Amos Mugweru, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Kirti Yenkie, Ph.D.

Committee Member 3

Gary Thompson, Ph.D.

Committee Member 4

Arameh Masoumi, Ph.D.

Keywords

Adhesive, Bioionic liquid, Conductive, Hydrogels, Regeneration, Tissue scaffold

Subject(s)

Tissue engineering; Biomedical materials; Tissue scaffolds

Disciplines

Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering | Chemical Engineering

Abstract

A blend of scaffolds, biologically active molecules, and cells are required to assemble functional constructs to repair and regenerate damaged tissue or organ via tissue engineering. The scaffold supports cell growth and proliferation and acts as a medium for diverse cellular activities. Even though hydrogel's high-water content and flexible nature make it a pronounced applicant as a scaffold, they exhibit significant technical limitations such as the absence of cell-binding motifs, lack of oxygen, conductivity, adhesive properties, growth of cells in a 3-dimensional (3D) microenvironment. In this thesis, a novel material platform is evaluated and studied to address the concerns mentioned earlier. The biopolymer is made by conjugating a bio ionic liquid (BIL) onto a biocompatible polymer backbone. The introduction of choline functionality significantly enhances the polymer's physical, mechanical, rheological, adhesive, and electrochemical properties. Initially, the adhesive properties and functionality of the synthesized biopolymers were analyzed. In addition, evaluating the biopolymer's ability to be used in in-situ 3D printing in-vivo electrical stimulation studies was performed. Furthermore, to demonstrate the biopolymer's performance as a conductive gel electrolyte, electrochemical functioning was considered. In conclusion, as an application, self-oxygenating tissue scaffolds were developed based on biocompatible electrochemical cell technology, combining the properties exhibited by the new class of biomaterials, an oxygen-generating setup that alleviates anoxia in a 3D microenvironment was confirmed, thus serving as an interface between bioelectronics and biomaterials.

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