Halloysite nanotubes-decorated electrospun biobased polyamide scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

As a versatile and scalable technology, electrospinning is capable of fabricating polymer composite nanofibers, which have a wide range of applications in bioengineering, filtration, textiles, and other fields. In this study, dopamine was used to modify the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNT), and the polydopamine (PDA) layer was used to promote the grafting of silane coupling agent on the surface of HNT. The surface of HNT was successfully modified by PDA coating and grafted with the silane coupling agent. Modified HNT (PDA@HNT-V) reinforced polyamide 56 (PA56) nanofibers were successfully synthesized through facile electrospinning method. Compared with the unmodified PA56 nanofibers, the tensile strength of the PA56/PDA@HNT-V composite fibers is increased by 67%, and the thermal stability is improved. Surface functional modification of PDA@HNT-V effectively improves the dispersion and compatibility with the PA56 matrix. Surface-modified HNT have a positive effect on the morphology and mechanical properties of electrospun PA56 nanofibers. Biological characterization confirmed the biocompatibility and low toxicity of PA56/PDA@HNT-V nanofiber scaffolds. In summary, the results obtained from this study demonstrated the potential of PA56/PDA@HNT-V nanofiber scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications.