Piezoelectricity of native and anionic collagen

The physicochemical, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of anionic and native collagen films were studied considering the development of new biomaterials which have potential applications in coating of cardiovascular prostheses, support for cellular growth and in systems for controlled drug delivery. It was observed that the collagen samples submitted to the alkaline treatment present lower thermal stability than those made from native collagen. However, the treated samples presents a higher piezoelectricity compared with the native collagen. The alkaline treatment leads to an increase of the organization of the microscopic structure of the sample, which could result in an increase of the piezoelectricity.