Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Fabrication of a Bioactive, PCL-based "Self-fitting" Shape Memory Polymer Scaffold
Published on: October 23, 2015
Fabrication and Characterization of PLA-PGA Orthopedic Implants
C M Agrawal1, G G Niederauer, K A Athanasiou
1Department of Orthopedics, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78284-7774.
Abstract:
Fabrication methods and property characterization of polyglycolic acid (PGA), polylactic acid (PLA), and their copolymers are reviewed. Both of these aliphatic polyesters belong to the a-hydroxy group and biodegrade in a physiological environment to monomeric acids, which are readily processed and excreted from the body. The physical and mechanical characteristics discussed include molecular weight, crystallinity, stress-strain behavior, permeability, and melting/glass transition temperatures. The most common methods of fabricating PLA-PGA materials into medical devices are described.
