Construction of porous poly (l-lactic acid) surface via carbon quantum dots-assisted static Breath-Figures method

Abstract

Focused on the design and construction of surface porous morphology of poly (L-lactic acid) membrane. A bottom-up surface patterning technique, static Breath-Figures method, combined with Pickering emulsion mechanism is regulated to fabricate porous poly (L-lactic acid) membrane surface rapidly and reliably. Carbon quantum dots, synthesized in an environment-respecting route, are used to assist the formation of droplet templates. The dimensions and morphology of surface pores can be controlled in a wide range by simply adjusting the content of carbon quantum dots and polymer solution concentration. The effect of the crystallization ability of the adsorption layer formed at the interface between the polymer solution and the water droplet on the pore dimension is proposed. Furthermore, PLLA can be completely degraded by CQD carboxyl catalysis. In brief, we have successfully manufactured a biocompatible PLLA/CQD membrane with a surface porous microstructure which may be potentially applied in cell culture and cell-related research. Compared to previous literature, this work develops a new one-step template patterning method with dynamic controllability. This work also avoids limitations such as high humidity, flowing airflow, and amphiphilic surfactants compared to traditional Breath-Figure approaches.