# Comprehensive Characterization of Solution‐Cast Polycaprolactone/MXene/Gelatin Composite Films for Biomedical Applications

## TL;DR

Researchers created biocompatible composite films using PCL, gelatin, and MXene, finding that porcine gelatin-based films showed the best cell growth and mechanical strength for biomedical uses.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel composite film formulation using PCL, MXene, and different gelatin sources, demonstrating tunable mechanical and biological properties.

## Key findings

- Porcine gelatin-based films showed the highest cell confluence in vitro.
- MXene addition improved mechanical strength and altered crystalline structure of PCL.
- Fish gelatin composites exhibited the coarsest morphology compared to bovine and porcine.

## Abstract

Despite significant advances in the development of biocompatible platforms, such as scaffolds, films, and hydrogels, a challenge remains in formulating films with the right balance of mechanical properties and bioactivity. Herein, we developed biocompatible composite films based on polycaprolactone (PCL), MXene, and gelatin that can be utilized for biomedical applications. PCL and gelatin (from bovine, fish, and porcine skin) were used to design the biocompatible matrix, while MXenes were used as a filler to enhance the mechanical and biological properties of the films. We investigated the influence of these three types of gelatin on the chemical structure, morphology, physicochemical properties, cytotoxicity, biocompatibility, and cell growth. All the films exhibited high tensile strength, ranging from 5 to 10 MPa. The incorporation of a relatively small content of MXene (0.5 wt%) altered the tensile properties of the films with the lower gelatin contents (12–15 wt%). SAXS analysis revealed that the nanometer‐scale lamellar stack structures characteristic of PCL, consisting of alternating crystalline and amorphous lamellae, were present in all samples and exhibited a morphology identical to that of neat PCL. In contrast, WAXS showed that the relative intensities of individual PCL reflections varied with sample composition, indicating a preferential orientation of PCL crystallites—and consequently of the lamellar stacks—particularly, in MXene‐containing samples. The SEM/SE micrographs displayed a coarse morphology of gelatin nanoparticles in the PCL matrix, and the structure coarseness decreased in the following order: PCL/MX/fish gelatin > PCL/MX/bovine gelatin > PCL/MX/porcine gelatin. In vitro, cell culture experiments with SAOS‐2 cells revealed that cell confluence was relatively high on samples with the 14.5 wt% porcine gelatin.

Polycaprolactone (PCL)/Gelatin/MXene composite films design and evaluation, where blending PCL and natural gelatin (bovine, porcine, and fish) and MXene nanoparticles resulted in coarse morphology, enhanced mechanical strength, and tunable cell‐material interactions, highlighting porcine‐based composite as a promising material for biomedical applications.