Morphology and Pore Size Distribution of Biocompatible Interconnected Porous Poly(L-lactic acid) Foams with Nanofibrous Structure Prepared by Thermally Induced Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation

Abstract

Biocompatible, highly interconnected microporous poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) foams with nanofibrous structure, containing pores with average diameter below 1 μm and fibers with diameters of 102 nm scale, were prepared through the thermally induced liquid–liquid phase separation (TIPS) method consisting of quenching of the PLLA solution, freeze extraction with ethanol, and vacuum drying. Diverse foam morphologies were obtained by systematically changing parameters involved in the TIPS process, such as polymer concentration, solvent composition, and quenching temperatures. The morphology of different foams was examined by scanning electron microscopy to characterize the pore size and the pore size distribution. The results showed that most porous foams had a nanofibrous structure with interconnected open pores. In the case of using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as solvent, the higher the PLLA concentration, the smaller the average pore diameter and the narrower the pore size distribution. In the case of using the mixed solvents of THF/DOX (1,4-dioxane) with higher than 6/4 volume ratio, there appeared a maximum value of average pore diameter and a widest pore size distribution at 0.09 g/mL PLLA concentration. The average pore diameter of the foams increased with increasing DOX content in the mixed solvent and ranged from 0.2 to 0.9 μm depending on the process parameters. When the DOX content reached 60% by volume, the morphology of the foams contained some large closed pores with diameter ranging from 1 to 10 μm. By decreasing the quenching temperature, the average pore diameter of foams decreased and the pore size distribution became narrower. All the pore size distribution fit F-distribution equations.