A Foam‐Expansion and Wall‐Evolution Model for Scaffold Fabrication Using Supercritical CO2 Foaming

Abstract

AbstractSupercritical CO2 foaming (SCF) is a green and highly controllable technique to fabricate polymer scaffolds. In the current work, SCF was modeled mathematically by combining a foam‐expansion model (FEM) and a wall‐evolution model (WEM). The model package is clearly presented, its solution strategy is precisely described, and its superiority over FEM is demonstrated. The model was validated by using experimental data of poly(ε‐caprolactone) scaffolds fabricated by the SCF technique at 300 bar and 50 °C with first and second pressure releases of 28.6 and 200 bar min−1, respectively. It was revealed that coupling FEM and WEM enables the prediction of scaffold density, pore radius, pore geometry, and wall thickness at the same time.