Biodegradable polycaprolactone scaffold with controlled porosity obtained by modified particle-leaching technique

Scaffold with controlled porosity constitute a cornerstone in tissue engineering, as a physical support for cell adhesion and growth. In this work, scaffolds of polycaprolactone were synthesized by a modified particle leaching method in order to control porosity and pore interconnectivity; the aim is to observe their influence on the mechanical properties and, in the future, on cell adhesion and proliferation rates. Low molecular weight PEMA beads with an average size of 200 lm were sintered with various compression rates in order to obtain the templates (negatives of the scaffolds). Then the melt polycaprolactone was injected into the porous template under nitrogen pressure in a custom made device. After cooling and solidifying of the melt polymer, the porogen was removed by selective dissolution in ethanol. The porosity and morphology of the scaffold were studied as well as the mechanical properties. Porosities from 60