Abstract
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to design and build porous microstructures with shape memory behaviour using biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) dimethacrylate macromers. These microstructures could be advantageous for tissue engineering and other advanced biomedical applications.
Methods:
Porous structures with a gyroid pore network architecture showing average pore sizes of 930 µm and complete pore interconnectivity were prepared by stereolithography. Built structures were characterized by Micro-computed tomography (µ-CT). Shape recovery and shape fixity of microstructures after 40% and 70% compression were evaluated.
Results:
At 37 °C the flexible structures showed compression modulus values of 60 KPa and could be fully compressed. Thermal analysis showed that the built networks were amorphous with Tg values of 23 °C. After compression to 40 and 70%, shape fixity and shape recovery of the structures at respectively 0 °C and 37 °C was almost quantitative.
Conclusions:
The well-defined pore network characteristics and the shape-memory properties of these structures allow their use as deployable tissue engineering scaffolds.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 280-286 |
| Journal | Journal of applied biomaterials and functional materials |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 13 Dec 2012 |
Keywords
- METIS-294609
- IR-85124