CROSSLINKING ELECTROSPUN POLY(ALLYLAMINE) FIBERS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS Background: Poly(allylamine) (PAH) is a synthe9c polymer used for many biomedical applica9ons, such as drug or gene delivery and heavy metal ion chela9on. Electrospun fibers have been widely studied for biomedical applica9ons due to the inherent high surface area to volume ra9os in the electrospun fibrous mats. PROBLEM: Many biomedical applica9ons have water-­‐based environments and PAH is a water-­‐
soluble polymer! Impact: AIer crosslinking with HDACS and genipin, PAH fibers are stable in aqueous environments at least 72 h, making the PAH mats a viable op9on for water filtra9on membranes and biomedical scaffolds. 2 µm
Objec&ve: Create a pla*orm for use of PAH electrospun fibers in biomedical applica9ons by improving their stability in aqueous environments. Approach: 1. Crosslink PAH electrospun fibers with amine-­‐
reac9ve crosslinking agents, HDACS and genipin, through a one-­‐step electrospinning method
. 2. Heat ac9vate as-­‐spun fibers to ini9ate the forma9on of covalent bonds with HDACS or genipin that stabilize PAH fibers in water-­‐based media. For more informa&on, please contact: Dr. Caroline L. Schauer cschauer@coe.drexel.edu 215-­‐895-­‐6797 Materials Science & Engineering 2 µm
AIer 72 h in water (pH 7), PAH fibers crosslinked with HDACS (leI) and genipin (right) retained a fibrous structure Natural Polymers and Photonics Group www.natural.materials.drexel.edu