Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 42: Biotechnology and bioengineering

BP 42.3: Talk

Friday, April 4, 2014, 10:00–10:15, HÜL 386

Aerographite for biomedical applications — •Constanze Lamprecht¹, Carsten Grabosch¹, Arnim Schuchardt¹, Ingo Paulowicz¹, Matthias Mecklenburg², Karl Schulte², Rainer Adelung¹, and Christine Selhuber-Unkel¹ — ¹Institute for Materials Science, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany — ²Istitute of Polymers and Composites, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany

Aerographite is a novel carbon based material that exists as a seamless 3D network of interconnected nano- and microtubes. The material exhibits outstanding physical properties such as ultra-lightweight, excellent electrical conductivity, and mechanical robustness, which are shared by the related material of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs have found a multitude of possible applications in a variety of disciplines including biomedical and tissue engineering. Notably CNT substrates have been shown to promote cell attachment, growth, and differentiation. However, the natural scaffold of tissues, the extracellular matrix, is a 3D structure with nano- and microscale features such as interconnecting pores, ridges, and fibers. While these requirements pose a difficult challenge for CNT composites, Aerographite (AG) might present new bioengineering possibilities, as it naturally provides a stable porous 3D scaffold that offers accessibility and penetrability of surfaces. AG can be synthesized as a macroscopic self supportive 3D scaffold in a variety of micro- and nano-architectures tailored by the growth conditions. This structural flexibility may prove as competitive advantage of AG for biomedical applications.