Electrospun Polymeric Composite Fibers Containing Te-Doped Bioactive Glass Powders

In this work, the electrospinning technique was used to prepare novel polymeric composite fibers containing Te-doped bioactive glass powders. Bioactive glass powders containing tellurium (STe5 glass) were chosen as fillers for the composites, owing to their bioactive, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. The biopolymer poly (& varepsilon;-caprolactone) (PCL) and acetic acid (AA) were used as raw materials for the preparation of the polymeric matrix. FESEM analysis confirmed a good incorporation of the glass powders in the polymeric fibers, of up to 20% by weight. Wettability, mechanical, in vitro stability and preliminary antibacterial tests were also performed. The results showed that the treatment in AA did not affect the bioactivity of the glass powders, the presence of STe5 powders in PCL enhanced the wettability of the fibers, and mechanical properties improved by increasing the amount of STe5 powders, as well as the antibacterial effect. Therefore, the obtained materials appear promising for developing multifunctional composite materials for applications in tissue engineering.