Preparation of macroporous biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) foams and characterization by mercury intrusion porosimetry, image analysis, and impedancy spectroscopy
[en] Two poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) random copolymers containing 5 and 40 mol% of epsilon-CL, namely P(LA-co-CL5) and P(LA-co-CL40), respectively, have been made macroporous by freeze-drying solutions in dimethylcarbonate. Most of the freeze-dried foams, prepared by varying polymer concentration and cooling rate, exhibited two main pore populations: (1) longitudinally oriented tube-like macropores with diameters greater than or equal to100 mum, and (2) interconnected micropores (10-100 mum). Pore characteristics, including macropore density, mean diameter, and interdistance, as well as micropore density, area, and shape, were determined by image analysis of scanning electron micrographs in order to study the influence of processing and formulation parameters on foam structure and properties. The pore orientation and the 3-D texture also were studied by image analysis and impedance spectroscopy. In the case of the P(LA-co-CL5), the macropore diameter increased with the cooling rate while the micropore diameter decreased. The micropores also became more circular when the cooling rate was increased. The pore size and morphology of the P(LA-co-CL40) were quite unchanged by varying the cooling rate. All the other conditions being the same, the P(LA-co-CL5) foams were better organized than the P(LA-co-CL40) foams, and pore orientation was improved at the higher cooling rate. Pore size and morphology also can be controlled by changing the polymer concentration (Cp), as we showed by studying P(LA-co-CL5) foams prepared by freeze-drying solutions in the 1-10 w/v% Cp range. Macropore density, average diameter, and interdistance of P(LA-co-CL5) foams increased with Cp, but the micropore characteristics remained almost unchanged no matter the Cp. The reliability of the characterization methods has been discussed, with special attention to mercury intrusion porosimetry, which is used primarily for measurement of pore volume and pore size distribution. However, this technique is reported here as a destructive and unreliable method for the characterization of fragile P(LA-co-CL40) foams. This study shows that image analysis and impedance spectroscopy can give reliable information relative to the pore morphology and anisotropy of freeze-dried foams.
Research Center/Unit :
Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Disciplines :
Chemistry Materials science & engineering
Author, co-author :
Maquet, Véronique; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Blacher, Silvia ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Applied Chemistry > Laboratory of Chemical Engineering
Pirard, René ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Applied Chemistry > Laboratory of Chemical Engineering
Pirard, Jean-Paul ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Applied Chemistry > Laboratory of Chemical Engineering
Vyakarnam, M. N.; Johnson & Johnson Corporate Biomaterials Center, Somerville, New Jersey, USA
Jérôme, Robert ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Department of Chemistry > Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules (CERM)
Language :
English
Title :
Preparation of macroporous biodegradable poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) foams and characterization by mercury intrusion porosimetry, image analysis, and impedancy spectroscopy
Publication date :
01 August 2003
Journal title :
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research
ISSN :
0021-9304
eISSN :
1097-4636
Publisher :
Wiley Liss, Inc., New York, United States - New York
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