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Published on: July 25, 2019
Polymeric microstructures with shape-memory properties for biomedical use built by stereolithography
Shahriar Sharifi1, Sebastien Blanquer, Dirk W Grijpma
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Medical Centre Groningen and University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to design and build porous microstructures with shape memory behaviour using biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) dimethacrylate macromers. These microstructures could be advantageous for tissue engineering and other advanced biomedical applications.
Methods:
Porous structures with a gyroid pore network architecture showing average pore sizes of 930 µm and complete pore interconnectivity were prepared by stereolithography. Built structures were characterized by Micro-computed tomography (µ-CT). Shape recovery and shape fixity of microstructures after 40% and 70% compression were evaluated.
Results:
At 37 °C the flexible structures showed compression modulus values of 60 KPa and could be fully compressed. Thermal analysis showed that the built networks were amorphous with Tg values of 23 °C. After compression to 40 and 70%, shape fixity and shape recovery of the structures at respectively 0 °C and 37 °C was almost quantitative.
Conclusions:
The well-defined pore network characteristics and the shape-memory properties of these structures allow their use as deployable tissue engineering scaffolds.
