In this investigation, the influence of a combination of poly(ethylene-oxide) (PEO) and salt (NaCl) as water-soluble porogens on the synthesis of sustainable porous poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) membranes is explored. Nine mixture compositions are examined. PCL sheets are fabricated through the cryomilling, hot pressing, and porogen leaching approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Mech Behav Biomed Mater
September 2019
Solid-state milling is a promising ecologically friendly method for fabricating polymeric blend and composite powder raw materials for several subsequent manufacturing processes. Biodegradable polymers, blends, and composites are expected to find extensive use by industry due to their environmental friendliness and acceptable mechanical and thermal properties for several applications. Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL), poly-ethylene-oxide (PEO), and their blends have attracted so much attention to replace commodity polymers in future applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater
August 2013
Three-dimensional interconnected porous poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds have been prepared by a novel solventless scaffold fabrication approach combining cryomilling and compression molding/porogen leaching techniques. This study investigated the effects of processing parameters on scaffold morphology and properties for tissue regeneration. Specifically, the effects of molding temperature, cryomilling time, and porogen mix were examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) (50:50 wt%) immiscible blend was used as a model system to investigate the feasibility of a novel solventless fabrication approach that combines cryomilling, compression molding and porogen leaching techniques to prepare interconnected porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. PCL was cryomilled with PEO to form blend powders. Compression molding was used to consolidate and anneal the cryomilled powders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomed Sci Instrum
February 2016
Several widely used techniques for the fabrication of three dimensional (3D) scaffolds utilize the particulate leaching method to achieve a porous structure. This method involves the selective leaching of a mineral or an organic compound to generate pores. However, scaffolds prepared by this technique tend to exhibit limited interconnectivity.
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