Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
8. Uluslararası Bilimsel Araştırmalar Kongresi, Çorum, Türkiye, 22 - 23 Ağustos 2020, ss.107-108
Spinal cord is connection that provides nerve conduction between brain
and rest of body. Spinal cord injuries usually cause interruption of
electrochemical circulation due to vertebrae to slip or break into spinal cord
and damage the neural cells by sudden traumas such as sports or motor vehicle
accidents. This leads to loss of sensory and motor control in entire body below
injury site. Current treatment methods for spinal cord injured individuals are
aimed at preventing complications rather than functional repair. The recovery
rate in this psychologically and economically severe disease is less than 1%.
Tissue engineering is the most promising field in the treatment of this
disease. A suitable biomaterial can provide appropriate microenvironment for
neurogenesis by displaying properties similar to that of native spinal cord. As
nervous system shows functions based on electrical activities, graphene is
ideal material for neural models.
In this study, a graphene-based tissue scaffold was prepared and
characterized. Graphene oxide obtained by chemical exfoliation from graphite,
which was used to obtain scaffold with 3D structure by freeze-drying method.
Reducing process by thermal and chemical was made to obtain graphene oxide with
different carbon/oxygen ratios. Electrical conductivity of graphene oxide ribbon
prepared by vacuum filtration technique was measured. Synthesized graphene
oxide was characterized by FTIR, AFM, UV spectrophotometer, and SEM-EDS. SEM
images of the scaffold showed that scaffold with a three-dimensional and porous
structure was obtained. C/O ratio of thermal and chemical reduced graphene
oxide was determined 9.52 and 27.93 respectively; and electrical conductivity
of it was determined 190.5 and 2831.65 S/m, respectively. Electrical
conductivity analysis showed that graphene had a similar conductivity value as
spinal cord.