Effect of La0.4Sr0.6MnO3 Concentration on Physicochemical, Mechanical, and Antibacterial Properties of Babassu Membranes.

The treatment of skin injuries related to burns and chronic diseases is a public health challenge. Babassu coconut mesocarp flour has been used in biomedical applications due to its anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Additionally, bioactive substances such as La0.4Sr0.6MnO3 particles can be incorporated into the polymer matrix, conferring magnetic and antibacterial properties. In this work, the effect of La0.4Sr0.6MnO3 concentration (0, 5, and 10%) on babassu membranes containing vitamin C (MNP0, MNP5, and MNP10) was evaluated in terms of their wettability, degradation, permeability, mechanical, magnetic, and antibacterial properties. The higher concentration of manganite in the membranes increased the wettability, the tensile strength (2.9 MPa), the elongation at break (67%), and the stiffness, the latter evidenced by both the elastic modulus (4.2 GPa) and hardness values (0.22 GPa). Additionally, the degradation resistance was also improved. Moreover, an increase in the magnetic moment was observed, reaching approximately 0.10 emu/g for MNP10. Regarding the antibacterial activity of the membranes, the MNP10 exhibited a significantly larger inhibition zone. Therefore, the membrane with 10% (w/w) La0.4Sr0.6MnO3 showed the best performance, suggesting its potential as a wound dressing material.