Skip to main content
Thesis defences

PhD Oral Exam - Mohammad Mohsen Delavari, Mechanical Engineering

Synthesizing and Characterizing Advanced Biodegradable Wound Dressings


Date & time
Friday, December 16, 2022 (all day)
Cost

This event is free

Organization

School of Graduate Studies

Contact

Daniela Ferrer

Where

Online

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

Over the past two decades, technological advancements have enabled the development of incredibly stimulating and accessible medical devices; however, once these devices have become widely available, issues related to the safe disposal of the used materials and devices have arisen. Various materials are used to fabricate advanced medical devices, including polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and nylon. However, these materials take a long time to decompose within a regular ecosystem, and traditional recycling methods are often harmful to the environment. Despite efforts to regulate the disposal of non-recyclable wound dressings, progress has been slow. Various industries have developed innovative wound care products and environmentally friendly processes in response to environmental regulations and global environmental awareness. The use of starch-based biodegradable wound dressings can make a significant contribution to environmental protection. An innovative casting approach with a short procedure duration has been developed and applied to produce starch-based wound dressings in accordance with various formulations in this dissertation research. The revised formulation reduces the use of components in the conventional preparation approach. This dissertation also examined the incorporation of non-toxic metal-oxide particles, such as zinc oxide, into wound dressings to enhance the physical, chemical, and biocompatibility properties. The standard methodologies were used to evaluate their characteristics to determine whether these materials are suitable for wound dressings. A comprehensive investigation of these materials fundamental physical properties, including mechanical strength, elongation-at-break, surface morphology (X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)), water vapor transmission rate, swelling index, weight loss, solubility, antibacterial activity (against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus), pH levels, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and biodegradability, was conducted for this purpose. As a wound dressing material, starch-based dressings demonstrate adequate degradation, water vapor transmission rate, antibacterial activity, fluid absorption, and mechanical strength, which are all essential characteristics. Finally, by employing the central composite design approach, a set of experiments was further carried out to optimize the starch-based wound-dressing preparation formulas.

Back to top

© Concordia University