6533b822fe1ef96bd127cc12

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Effect of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Concentration on Polymeric Scaffolds Based on Blends of Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) and PHA Prepared via Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS)

Francesco LoprestiAntonio LigaElisa CapuanaDavide GulfiClaudio ZancaRosalinda InguantaValerio BrucatoVincenzo La CarrubbaFrancesco Carfì Pavia

subject

biopolymer blends porous structures scaffold thermally induced phase separation tissue engineeringPolymers and Plasticstissue engineering; biopolymer blends; porous structures; scaffold; thermally induced phase separationSettore ING-IND/34 - Bioingegneria IndustrialeGeneral Chemistry

description

Hybrid porous scaffolds composed of both natural and synthetic biopolymers have demonstrated significant improvements in the tissue engineering field. This study investigates for the first time the fabrication route and characterization of poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds blended with polyhydroxyalkanoate up to 30 wt%. The hybrid scaffolds were prepared by a thermally induced phase separation method starting from ternary solutions. The microstructure of the hybrid porous structures was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and related to the blend composition. The porosity and the wettability of the scaffolds were evaluated through gravimetric and water contact angle measurements, respectively. The scaffolds were also characterized in terms of the surface chemical properties via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance. The mechanical properties were analyzed through tensile tests, while the crystallinity of the PLLA/PHA scaffolds was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2022-06-19Polymers; Volume 14; Issue 12; Pages: 2494
10.3390/polym14122494https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym14122494