Thermal Properties of PVP Cryoprotectants With Nanoparticles

Vitrification is an effective way for the cryopreservation of cells and tissues. The critical cooling rates for vitrification solution are relatively high. It is reported that nanoparticles can improve the heat transfer properties of solutions. To increase the heat transfer coefficient of aqueous cryoprotectant solutions, Hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles were added into Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solutions (50%, 55%, and 60%, w/w). The glass-transition temperature, devitrification temperature, and specific heat of PVP aqueous solutions with/without HA nanoparticles (0.1%, 0.5%, and 1%, w/w) were measured by a differential scanning calorimeter at a cooling rate of $20°C/min$ and a warming rate of $10°C/min$⁠. The change in density of the above solutions with temperature was determined by using a straw that can reveal the volume change of solutions. The thermal conductivity was calculated based on the experimental data. A device that can be used to measure the thermal conductivity of vitrification solutions with/without nanoparticles was developed in this study. The results showed that the glass-transition temperature, devitrification temperature, and specific heat of PVP aqueous solutions with HA nanoparticles are larger than those without HA nanoparticles. The thermal conductivity of solutions with HA nanoparticles is larger than those without HA nanoparticles at a specific temperature. The lower the temperature, the smaller the difference in thermal conductivity between the solutions with and without HA nanoparticles. The calculated thermal conductivity meets the measured data well.