Optimizing graphene-enhanced polycaprolactone nanofibers for superior biomedical properties

Abstract

Abstract Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers are widely studied for biomedical applications due to their biodegradability and processability, but their limited mechanical strength and bioactivity restrict advanced use. This study addresses these challenges by incorporating four types of functionalized graphene—carboxyl (CFG), hydroxyl (HFG), amine (AFG), and sulfonic (SFG)—into PCL at varying concentrations. Nanocomposite fibers were fabricated via electrospinning and characterized using SEM, FTIR, Raman, DSC, TGA, tensile testing, and MTT assay. Among all, PCL reinforced with 1 wt% SFG showed superior properties, including a tensile strength of 5.8 MPa, 34% thermal residue at 600°C, and 93% cell viability at 72 hours, outperforming pure PCL by over 60% in strength and 9% in biocompatibility. The enhancement is attributed to improved dispersion and strong interfacial bonding from polar functional groups. These results highlight the potential of functionalized graphene to engineer high-performance nanofibers for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.