Publicação
Development of Photosensitive Fibers for Photocurrent Therapy
| Resumo: | This work aims at the production of electrospun photosensitive membranes suitable for applications in photocurrent therapy. Photocurrent therapy consists of irradiating a photosensitive material, which will generate an electrical current and a fluorescence emission. This photoluminescence behavior should be in the red to infrared wavelengths to improve the wound healing process, by increasing fibroblast growth factor and activating local anti-inflammatory responses. P3HT was selected as the photosensitive material. Two blend solutions of PCL:P3HT and PMMA:P3HT were prepared with the following weight ratios 15:1 and 15:3. Each membrane was submitted to electrical characterization in dark, with an incandescent light at several intensities, and with different colored LEDs. They also undergone optical characterization, with UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometry, photoluminescence spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. Both PCL/P3HT and PMMA/P3HT membranes, when exposed to UV light, displayed photoluminescent emission peaks at 684nm, and 695 nm, for 15:1 and 15:3 polymer blend ratios, respectively. Light absorbance ranges were from 350 nm to 650 nm in PCL/P3HT membranes, and from 310 nm to 700 nm in PMMA/P3HT membranes. After a 24-hour continuous UV exposure, P3HT- containing membranes recovered the photoluminescence emission intensity, following a day with no exposure. PMMA/P3HT membrane with 15:3 ratio displayed a substantiated photoconductive behavior, by increasing its electrical conductivity by 350% over 22 minutes of continuous light exposure. These results show that P3HT-containing membranes meet the phototherapy application requirements, by emitting in the therapeutic range, with the added bonus of absorbing light in the maximum irradiance region of the solar spectrum. For electrotherapy applications further research and optimization is needed to increase photoconductive behavior and electrical conductivity values. A convenient cytotoxicity analysis is also needed to evaluate the toxicity of the membranes. |
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| Autores principais: | Cunha, Júlio Rafael dos Santos |
| Assunto: | P3HT PCL PMMA photocurrent therapy photosensitive membranes phototherapy |
| Ano: | 2023 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | This work aims at the production of electrospun photosensitive membranes suitable for applications in photocurrent therapy. Photocurrent therapy consists of irradiating a photosensitive material, which will generate an electrical current and a fluorescence emission. This photoluminescence behavior should be in the red to infrared wavelengths to improve the wound healing process, by increasing fibroblast growth factor and activating local anti-inflammatory responses. P3HT was selected as the photosensitive material. Two blend solutions of PCL:P3HT and PMMA:P3HT were prepared with the following weight ratios 15:1 and 15:3. Each membrane was submitted to electrical characterization in dark, with an incandescent light at several intensities, and with different colored LEDs. They also undergone optical characterization, with UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometry, photoluminescence spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy. Both PCL/P3HT and PMMA/P3HT membranes, when exposed to UV light, displayed photoluminescent emission peaks at 684nm, and 695 nm, for 15:1 and 15:3 polymer blend ratios, respectively. Light absorbance ranges were from 350 nm to 650 nm in PCL/P3HT membranes, and from 310 nm to 700 nm in PMMA/P3HT membranes. After a 24-hour continuous UV exposure, P3HT- containing membranes recovered the photoluminescence emission intensity, following a day with no exposure. PMMA/P3HT membrane with 15:3 ratio displayed a substantiated photoconductive behavior, by increasing its electrical conductivity by 350% over 22 minutes of continuous light exposure. These results show that P3HT-containing membranes meet the phototherapy application requirements, by emitting in the therapeutic range, with the added bonus of absorbing light in the maximum irradiance region of the solar spectrum. For electrotherapy applications further research and optimization is needed to increase photoconductive behavior and electrical conductivity values. A convenient cytotoxicity analysis is also needed to evaluate the toxicity of the membranes. |
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