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Characterization of 3 D elastic porous polydimethylsiloxane ( PDMS ) cell scaffolds fabricated by VARTM and particle leaching
Author(s) -
Si Junhui,
Cui Zhixiang,
Xie Peng,
Song Lairui,
Wang Qianting,
Liu Qiong,
Liu Chuntai
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.42909
Subject(s) - interconnectivity , polydimethylsiloxane , materials science , porosity , scanning electron microscope , composite material , particle size , absorption of water , elastic modulus , chemical engineering , artificial intelligence , computer science , engineering
In this study, elastic porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) cell scaffolds were fabricated by vacuum‐assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) and particle leaching technologies. To control the porous morphology and porosity, different processing parameters, such as compression load, compression time, and NaCl particle size for preparing NaCl preform, were studied. The porous structures of PDMS cell scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The properties of PDMS cell scaffolds, including porosity, water absorption, interconnectivity, compression modulus, and compression strength were also investigated. The results showed that after the porogen–NaCl particles had been leached, the remaining pores had the sizes of 150–300, 300–450, and 450–600 μm, which matched the sizes of the NaCl particles. The interconnectivity of PDMS cell scaffolds increases with an increase in the size of NaCl particles. It was also found that the smaller the size of the NaCl particles, the higher the porosity and water absorption of PDMS cell scaffolds. The content of residual NaCl in PDMS/NaCl scaffolds reduces under ultrasonic treatment. In addition, PDMS scaffolds with a pore size of 300–450 μm have better mechanical properties compared to those with pore sizes of 150–300 and 450–600 μm. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133 , 42909.