Search results for "Melt mixing"

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOPOLYMERIC POROUS STRUCTURES FOR ADVANCED APPLICATIONS

Porous biopolymers received an increasing academic and industrial interest finding application in several fields such as tissue engineering, bioprocess intensification and waste removal. Tissue engineering combines the knowledge of materials science and bioengineering in order to develop structures able to substitute and restore the normal function of injured or diseased tissues. In this context, polymeric 3D or 2D scaffolds are widely investigated as temporary cell guidance during the tissue restore. Porous biomaterials can offer a versatile and cost effective way for immobilization of filamentous microorganisms in submerged fermentation processes for the production of biologically active …

Using Taguchi method for the optimization of processing variables to prepare porous scaffolds by combined melt mixing/particulate leaching

2017

Synthetic biopolymers have made significant inroads into the development of devices for tissue regeneration. In this context, a challenge is the achievement of appropriate properties mimicking the natural extracellular matrix by fabricating scaffolds presenting mechanical properties, specific surface, porosity and pore interconnection adequate for the final application. This study involved a systematic procedure based on Taguchi method for parameters optimization of melt mixing/particulate leaching combined processes aiming to enhance the performance of the scaffolds. In particular, it was evaluated the effect of time and temperature of melt mixing of the poly(lactic acid) matrix with two w…

A novel approach to prevent graphene oxide re-aggregation during the melt compounding with polymers

2015

Abstract The technology for the preparation of polymer-GO nanocomposites was investigated by studying the structure-properties relationships of two different systems, based on PA6 and EVA, fabricated by using different preparation methods, i.e. melt mixing, wet phase inversion, and the combination of the two. The morphology of nanocomposites resulted dramatically influenced by the technique adopted and showed to be the critical variable affecting the physical properties of the materials. Finally, the mechanical and dynamic-mechanical of the nanocomposites were improved by using the hybrid technique combining the two procedures.

Effect of PCL/PEG-Based Membranes on Actinorhodin Production in Streptomyces coelicolor Cultivations

2015

The actinomycetes, Gram-positive filamentous bacteria, are the most prolific source of natural occurring antibiotics. At an industrial level, antibiotics from actinomycete strains are produced by means of submerged fermentations, where one of the major factors negatively affecting bioproductivity is the pellet-shaped biomass growth. The immobilization of microorganisms on properly chosen supports prevents cell-cell aggregation resulting in improving the biosynthetic capability. Thus, novel porous biopolymer-based devices are developed by combining melt mixing and particulate leaching. In particular, polycaprolactone (PCL), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and sodium chloride (NaCl) with different…

Preparation of three-layered porous PLA/PEG scaffold: relationship between morphology, mechanical behavior and cell permeability.

2015

Interface tissue engineering (ITE) is used to repair or regenerate interface living tissue such as for instance bone and cartilage. This kind of tissues present natural different properties from a biological and mechanical point of view. With the aim to imitating the natural gradient occurring in the bone-cartilage tissue, several technologies and methods have been proposed over recent years in order to develop polymeric functionally graded scaffolds (FGS). In this study three-layered scaffolds with a pore size gradient were developed by melt mixing polylactic acid (PLA) and two water-soluble porogen agents: sodium chloride (NaCl) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Pore dimensions were controll…

Mechanical behavior of polylactic acid/polycaprolactone porous layered functional composites

2016

Abstract Biopolymeric porous devices exhibiting graded properties can play a crucial role in several fields, such as tissue engineering or controlled drugs release. In this context, the gradient of a specific property can be achieved by developing porous laminates composed by different types of materials. This work presents for the first time a multi-phasic porous laminate based on polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) prepared by combining melt mixing, compression molding and particle leaching. All the materials were characterized from a morphological and a mechanical point of view. The results put into evidence the possibility to tune and to predict the mechanical properties by…

Bi-layer PCL/PLA scaffold prepared by melt for interface tissue engineering

2017

The development of porous multilayer devices allow controlling chemical, physical and mechanical properties by tuning the properties of each single layer. For instance, this feature is of main concern for the production of porous devices designed to regenerate diseased zones at the interface of tissue presenting intrinsic anisotropic structures that gradually change from one tissue to another. In this context, synthetic biodegradable polymers commonly used biomedical applications include polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL). In this work, a novel bi-layered multiphasic scaffold (BLS) is presented. It is composed by a PLA-layer presenting pore size in the range of 90-110 μm while…

Effect of preparation method on the properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)/mesoporous silica composites

2019

The preparation method of a polymer composite and the filler loading are amongst the factors that influence the properties of the final composites. This article studies the effect of these factors on the thermal stability and thermal degradation kinetics of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/mesoporous silica (MCM-41) composites filled with small amounts of MCM-41. The PMMA/MCM-41 composites were prepared through in situ polymerisation and melt mixing methods, with MCM-41 loadings of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.%. The presence of MCM-41 increased the thermal stability of PMMA/MCM-41 composites prepared by melt mixing, but in the case of the in situ polymerised samples, the MCM-41 accelerated the deg…

Photo-stabilization of biopolymers-based nanocomposites with UV-modified layered silicates

2020

Abstract Eco-friendly in-situ stabilised biopolymer nanocomposites based on polyamide 11 (PA11) and polylactic acid (PLA) were prepared by melt mixing in the presence of a modified organo-montmorillonite clay containing a chemically-bound hindered amine UV-stabilising function, [(UV)OM-MMt]. Characterisation of the newly synthesised organo-modifier containing the reactive hindered amine (HAS) UV-stabilising function [(UV)OM] has confirmed a successful synthesis. The (UV)OM was then introduced into NaMMt through ion exchange reaction to prepare the UV stabiliser-bound organo-modified-MMt, [(UV)OM-MMt]. The in-situ stabilised PA11- and PLA- nanocomposites (PA11-(UV)OM-MMt and PLA-(UV)OM-MMt) …

A facile and eco-friendly route to fabricate poly(Lactic acid) scaffolds with graded pore size

2016

Over the recent years, functionally graded scaffolds (FGS) gaineda crucial role for manufacturing of devices for tissue engineering. The importance of this new field of biomaterials research is due to the necessity to develop implants capable of mimicking the complex functionality of the various tissues, including a continuous change from one structure or composition to another. In this latter context, one topic of main interest concerns the design of appropriate scaffolds for bone-cartilage interface tissue. In this study, three-layered scaffolds with graded pore size were achieved by melt mixing poly(lactic acid) (PLA), sodium chloride (NaCl) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Pore size distr…