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Physical characterization of polycaprolactone scaffolds

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Abstract

Films and sponges were prepared from a solution of Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) in tetrahydrofuran (THF). The porosity, crystallinity, and mechanical properties of the samples were studied. Porosity of around 15% was obtained for the films produced by evaporation of THF at room temperature. A much more porous structure (50–70%) was found for the sponges obtained by cooling the solution at −30 °C and subsequently eliminating the solvent by freeze drying. The porosity of the samples was also observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystallinity of the samples was studied by the calorimetric technique (DSC) before and after the compression scans. The mechanical properties of the different samples were determined by compression test, and were compared to those corresponding to the PCL in bulk. The compression scans did not affect the crystallinity of the samples. The variations observed in the results of the different scans were attributed to the differences in porosities and crystallinity.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Spanish Science and Technology Ministry through the MAT2003-05391-C03-01 project. The support given to the research group by the Generalitat Valenciana through the GV04A/345 project, is also acknowledged. We would like to thank the R+D+i Linguistic Assistance Office at the Polytechnic University of Valencia for their help in revising this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Physics, Center for Biomaterials, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, 46071, Spain

    Jorge Más Estellés, Ana Vidaurre, José M. Meseguer Dueñas & Isabel Castilla Cortázar

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  1. Jorge Más Estellés
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  2. Ana Vidaurre
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  3. José M. Meseguer Dueñas
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  4. Isabel Castilla Cortázar
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Correspondence to Ana Vidaurre.

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Más Estellés, J., Vidaurre, A., Meseguer Dueñas, J.M. et al. Physical characterization of polycaprolactone scaffolds. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 19, 189–195 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-006-0101-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-006-0101-2

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