Development of carbon nanotube functionalised polycaprolactone composites for thermal optimisation-Data set
Description
SI1. Photograph of the PCL-MWCNT composites with L929 cells in a 96-well plate. Performed in the In Vitro Pharmacology Laboratory at Universidad del Valle (photo taken by Jaime Muñoz, 2023). SI2. Tensile Tests of the Scaffold of A PCL(c)-MWCNT 1 %, B PCL(c)-MWCNT 3 % and C PCL(c)-MWCNT 5 %. SI3. Porosity of the 3 % PCL-MWCNT scaffold, observed by optical microscope. Microscopic examination showed that the 1% PCL–MWCNT scaffold possessed a well-interconnected pore network with an average diameter of 714.67 µm, suitable for effective cell adhesion and function. In contrast, the 3% scaffold exhibited higher porosity but with heterogeneous pore sizes—153.74 µm, 93.59 µm, and 550.26 µm—most of which were smaller than the optimal range for robust cellular attachment. SI4. Porosity of the PCL-MWCNT 5 % scaffold, observed by optical microscope The 5 % PCL-MWCNT scaffold revealed an abundance of interconnected pores. Several pores with the following diameters were identified: 568.62 µm (A), 250.73 µm, 234.54 µm and 466.53 µm (B), 345.88 µm (C), a macropore of 1922.78 µm (D), 534.84 µm (E) and 677.07 µm (F). These pore sizes are within the optimal range for cell growth and viability. SI5.Nanoindentation Hardness Enhancement in PCL–MWCNT Scaffolds Across Varying Nanotube Loadings. This figure presents nanoindentation hardness measurements for PCL–MWCNT composites containing 1%, 3%, and 5% MWCNT (w/w). Mean hardness values (n=10) show a statistically significant, progressive increase with nanotube content, as confirmed by ANOVA (p = 0.0003) and Tukey’s HSD post-hoc tests. SI6. Microscopic evaluation of cell proliferation on PCL scaffolds with 1% (a-c) and 5% (d-f) MWCNT reinforcement over 15 days. SI7. Effect of MWCNT Loading on Young’s Modulus and Tensile Strength of PCL–MWCNT Composites. This figure compares the Young’s modulus and tensile strength of PCL–MWCNT scaffolds containing 1%, 3%, and 5% MWCNT (w/w). Both properties peak at 3% loading, where optimal nanotube dispersion enables efficient stress transfer, yielding the highest stiffness and strength. At 5%, agglomeration effects reduce mechanical performance despite higher filler content. Pearson correlation analysis shows no statistically significant linear relationship between modulus and strength (r = 0.28, p = 0.821), indicating independent property variations driven by microstructural factors.