Fabrication of polycaprolactone scaffolds using a sacrificial compression‐molding process

Abstract

A method of compression-molding fine-powder blends of polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and subsequently dissolving the PEO phase was investigated to prepare porous PCL scaffolds. Different mixing ratios of the two polymers from 20 to 70% PCL were used to study the effect of the mixing ratio on the morphology formation of the scaffold. The mixing ratio was found to play an important role in affecting the porosity of the scaffold and the size of pores. Murine embryonic stem cell derived osteogenic cells were utilized to test the suitability of these scaffolds in tissue engineering applications. The seeded cells were able to colonize and grow in these scaffolds. Based on the overall consideration of morphology, mechanical performance, and ability for cell attachment and proliferation, the scaffolds with approximately 30-40% PCL appear to be an appropriate choice for tissue engineering. These findings suggest that sacrificial compression-molding of PCL-PEO powder blends can be used in the generation of biocompatible scaffolds with controllable porosity and pore size and may be used for in vitro tissue engineering applications.