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Preparation of highly interconnected porous poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(lactic acid) scaffolds via supercritical foaming
Author(s) -
Sun Shuhao,
Li Qian,
Zhao Na,
Jiang Jing,
Zhang Kangkang,
Hou Jianhua,
Wang Xiaofeng,
Liu Guoji
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
polymers for advanced technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1581
pISSN - 1042-7147
DOI - 10.1002/pat.4427
Subject(s) - materials science , porosity , caprolactone , supercritical fluid , lactic acid , blowing agent , chemical engineering , polymer , foaming agent , tissue engineering , composite material , copolymer , biomedical engineering , organic chemistry , chemistry , polyurethane , medicine , biology , bacteria , engineering , genetics
Highly interconnected porous polymer scaffolds were prepared by gas foaming. Poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(lactic acid) blends were melt mixed and batch foamed using CO 2 as a physical blowing agent. The effects of the foaming temperature, pressure, and CO 2 saturation time on the foam morphology were related to the mechanical properties of the scaffolds. The cell size in cross section of scaffolds decreased and became more homogeneous until CO 2 saturation time reached 1.5 hours. With an increase in temperature, the cell size increased markedly and the cell size uniformity decreased gradually, whereas the reverse happened when the foaming pressure was increased. Meanwhile, many open cells can also be detected on the surface of scaffolds. High porosity and an open‐cell content of greater than 90% were obtained. The compressive strength of scaffolds was regulated by controlling the foam architecture. The information gathered in this study may provide a theoretical basis for research into porous tissue engineering scaffolds.