Temperature-Sensitive Hydrogels Containing Carboxylated Chitosan-Modified Carbon Nanotubes for Controlled Drug Release
Tongyao Lin, Jinglin Zhang, Hui Long, Fengjuan Yang, Langhuan Huang, Sui‐Ping Deng, Jingxian Zhang, Xiang Cai, Yunhua Yang, Shaozao Tan
Abstract
To improve the environmental response and drug loading/release performance of hydrogels, carboxylated chitosan-modified carbon nanotubes (CCS/CNT) were synthesized as a reinforcer. Moreover, diethylacrylamide (DEA) and N-hydroxymethylacrylamide (NHMAA) acted as a temperature-sensitive monomer and a hydrophilic comonomer, respectively. Thus, a novel micro-nanomodified temperature-sensitive hydrogel (DEA-NHMAA-CNT/CCS) was fabricated via polymerization and cross-linking reactions. The results showed that DEA-NHMAA-CNT/CCS with a uniform and complete pore structure exhibited improved temperature-responsive speed, compression property, and photothermal performance. Furthermore, DEA-NHMAA-CNT/CCS owned an enhanced drug loading/release ability, displaying good temperature-controlled drug release behavior and satisfactory antibacterial activity. The advantages combining facile preparation and good overall performance suggested the great potential application of DEA-NHMAA-CNT/CCS in the fields of drug delivery, wound dressing, and tissue engineering scaffolds.