A Simple, Scalable Process for the Production of Porous Polymer Microspheres by Ink‐Jetting Combined with Thermally Induced Phase Separation

Abstract

Porous microspheres capable of delivering high payloads of biomolecules with suitable biodegradability and biocompatibility would be valuable in delivery systems to aid tissue regeneration. This study describes a facile, scalable technique to produce biodegradable porous microspheres by combining continuous ink‐jetting through a piezoelectric nozzle with thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). A selection of biomaterials is investigated to suit delivery in tissue engineering, the synthetic polyesters poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA), and poly caprolactone (PCL) and a natural polymer, gelatin. The parameters governing the microsphere production are determined experimentally and compared to theoretical predictions derived from the fluid mechanics and heat transfer during the ink‐jetting process. The microspheres produced have open interconnected pores with mean particle diameters of 80–200 μm and no significant skin region. The physical properties, such as the mean particle diameter, pore size, and surface area could be controlled by varying production parameters including the ink‐jetting pressure, nozzle height, and the size and oscillation frequency of the nozzle. The technique is demonstrated to successfully encapsulate a model hydrophobic molecule during microsphere production with uniform distribution. Porous PLGA microspheres are also used to achieve much higher adsorption capacities of a short peptide than non‐porous microspheres of the same material.