Coalesced poly(ε-caprolactone) fibers are stronger

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is a widely used biodegradable polymer.
• Enhancing the mechanical properties of PCL is crucial for advanced applications like tissue engineering.
• Current methods for improving PCL properties often involve complex processing or additives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of coalescing poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with urea on its fiber properties.
• To evaluate the melting, crystallization, mechanical, and optical characteristics of modified PCL fibers.
• To determine the suitability of these enhanced PCL fibers for tissue engineering scaffolds.

Main Methods:

• Melt-spinning of PCL fibers from inclusion complex crystals with urea.
• Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) for thermal analysis.
• Tensile testing to assess mechanical properties (modulus, elongation at break).
• Birefringence measurements to quantify molecular orientation.

Main Results:

• Undrawn coalesced PCL fibers showed a 500-600% increase in modulus compared to as-received (asr) PCL fibers.
• Drawn coalesced PCL fibers exhibited significantly higher moduli (65% increase) and lower elongation at break than drawn asr PCL fibers.
• Despite only a minor increase in crystallinity, drawn coalesced PCL fibers demonstrated superior mechanical performance due to intrinsic polymer alignment.

Conclusions:

• Coalescing PCL with urea via inclusion complex crystals is an effective method to enhance fiber mechanical properties.
• The improved mechanical strength and reduced elongation of coalesced PCL fibers stem from intrinsic polymer alignment.
• These enhanced PCL fibers represent a promising material for developing robust tissue engineering scaffolds.