A biocompatible nanocomposite based on allyl chitosan and vinyltriethoxysilane for tissue engineering

The synthesis, structure, and electrophysical properties of a polymer-inorganic biocompatible composite based on unsaturated chitosan ether, namely, allyl chitosan, and vinyltriethoxysilane are studied. During composite synthesis, allyl chitosan forms an individual nanophase with vinyltriethoxysilane and its condensation products in the polymer matrix of allyl chitosan. The size of nanoparticles embedded in a polymer matrix increases from 50 to 1000 nm as the fraction of the added vinyltriethoxysilane grows. Under exposure to UV radiation, both homopolycondensation and heteropolycondensation occur in the composite films via crosslinking according to the radical mechanism and the composite becomes insoluble in water. It has been shown that the resulting composites feature ionic conductivity under application of both direct current and high-frequency electric fields to the sample. Conductivity is provided by a proton–electron ensemble that concentrates at the nanoparticle/polymer matrix interface.