Morphology Evolution of Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) Ternary Blend and Their Effects on Mechanical Properties for Bio Scaffold Applications

Morphology Evolution of Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) Ternary Blend and Their Effects on Mechanical Properties for Bio Scaffold Applications

Ternary blends of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) wereproduced with different concentrations of components via melt blending. By leaching the PEO from the samples by water,porous materials were obtained with potential application for bio scaffolds. Sample porosity was evaluated by calculatingthe ratio of porous scaffold density (ρ*) to the non-porous material density (ρs). Highest porosity (51.42%) was relatedto the samples containing 50 wt%. of PEO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed the best porosityresulted by decreasing PLLA/PCL ratio at constant concentration of PEO. Crystallization behavior of the ternary blendsamples was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results revealed that the crystallinity of PLLA wasimproved by addition of PEO and PCL to the samples. The porosity plays a key role in governing the compression properties.Mechanical properties are presented by Gibson-Ashby model.

Ternary blends of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) wereproduced with different concentrations of components via melt blending. By leaching the PEO from the samples by water,porous materials were obtained with potential application for bio scaffolds. Sample porosity was evaluated by calculatingthe ratio of porous scaffold density (ρ*) to the non-porous material density (ρs). Highest porosity (51.42%) was relatedto the samples containing 50 wt%. of PEO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed the best porosityresulted by decreasing PLLA/PCL ratio at constant concentration of PEO. Crystallization behavior of the ternary blendsamples was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results revealed that the crystallinity of PLLA wasimproved by addition of PEO and PCL to the samples. The porosity plays a key role in governing the compression properties.Mechanical properties are presented by Gibson-Ashby model.