Pure Protein Scaffolds from Pickering High Internal Phase Emulsion Template

Abstract

The formation of hierarchical porous protein scaffolds from oil-in-water (o/w) high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) stabilized by bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein nanoparticles (Pickering HIPE) is reported. The route consists of three principal steps. First, a stable o/w HIPE stabilized by BSA protein nanoparticles is formulated. Next, crosslinking the dispersed protein nanoparticles gives rise to a gel in the continuous water phase to freeze the emulsion's microstructure. Finally, removal of the oil components and water directly leads to a three dimensional, bimodal meso-macroporous protein scaffold, which is suitable for a wide range of biomedical applications.