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Preparation of a Macroporous Poly( L ‐lactide) Scaffold by Liquid‐Liquid Phase Separation of a PLLA/1,4‐Dioxane/Water Ternary System in the Presence of NaCl
Author(s) -
Hua Fang Jun,
Nam Jae Do,
Lee Doo Sung
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/1521-3927(20010901)22:13<1053::aid-marc1053>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - ternary operation , materials science , chemical engineering , crystallization , ternary numeral system , spinodal decomposition , salt (chemistry) , phase (matter) , macropore , cloud point , lactide , penetration (warfare) , polymer chemistry , polymer , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , copolymer , catalysis , mesoporous material , pulmonary surfactant , operations research , computer science , engineering , programming language
A novel method for preparing regular and highly interconnected macroporous poly( L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds is presented. Scaffolds with pore sizes ranging from 50 to 300 μm were fabricated from a PLLA/1,4‐dioxane/water ternary system via a thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) in the presence of small amounts of NaCl (⩽0.1 wt.‐%). The addition of salt had the following effects. The cloud‐point temperature was raised because of a salt‐out effect. Spinodal decomposition was induced at a higher temperature with a large quench depth. Gelation due to the crystallization of PLLA was prevented to a large extent, which led to the creation of the highly interconnected macropores required for effective cell penetration.