6533b7d2fe1ef96bd125e37d

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Preparation of polymeric foams with a pore size gradient via Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS)

V. La CarrubbaGioacchino ConoscentiG. A. MannellaValerio BrucatoF. Carfì Pavia

subject

MorphologyPore sizeScaffoldRange (particle radiation)Materials scienceMorphology (linguistics)ChromatographySpinodal decompositionMechanical EngineeringPhase separationPore size gradientSettore ING-IND/34 - Bioingegneria IndustrialeCondensed Matter PhysicCondensed Matter PhysicsResidence time (fluid dynamics)Bone tissuePolymer solutionmedicine.anatomical_structureMechanics of MaterialsThermalmedicineGeneral Materials ScienceMaterials Science (all)Composite material

description

Abstract Foams with a pore size gradient are promising materials for tissue engineering applications where a complex architecture involving morphological variations in space must be mimicked, e.g. in bone tissue repair. In this paper, a technique to obtain a porous scaffold with a pore size gradient is presented. The preparation procedure is based on Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS), by imposing a different thermal history on the two sides of a polymeric solution. In this way, a gradient in thermal history is produced, which will generate a pore size monotonously varying along scaffold thickness. By controlling some parameters easy to manipulate, such as demixing temperature and/or residence time in the miscibility gap region, the pore size range can be easily tuned.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2015.07.055