QNRF undergraduate research / UREP22-076-1-011
Development of medical scaffolds with enhanced infection resistance using electrospinning/plasma technology
Fabrication and surface modification of PLA scaffolds for tissue engineering and antimicrobial properties.
Scientific question
Biomaterials engineering and tissue–material interfaces
The project addressed a common problem in tissue-engineering scaffolds: otherwise useful polymer substrates may offer poor resistance to microbial adhesion. Its strategy combined electrospinning with plasma-assisted surface modification of polylactic acid.
This work contributed to a continuing biomaterials research trajectory from 2018 onward, alongside later work in nanofibrous surfaces and biomedical textiles. Related coauthored peer-reviewed publications document plasma-modified PLA materials, but this page does not assume that every proposed scaffold property was proven within the original award period.
Student research role within a supervised Qatar University team. The original QNRF research plan provides the project scope, with subsequent outputs identified separately.
Methods and research design
- Electrospinning of polylactic-acid nanofiber mats
- Low-temperature plasma surface activation
- Grafting of ascorbic and fumaric acid functionality
- Surface wettability, morphology and antimicrobial-characterization concepts
Research record
Related paper: Popelka et al., Surface and Coatings Technology (2020), 400, 126216; related PLA surface chemistry: Polymers (2021), 13, 3717.
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