Fluid flow effects on the degradation kinetics of bioresorbable polymers

Implants, tissue engineering scaffolds made of biodegradable polymers are widely used in biomedical engineering. The degradation of polymers plays a critical role in the effectiveness of these applications. In this paper, the mechanism of the hydrolytic degradation affected by the flow medium is studied. The results indicate that both high porosity and dynamic conditions may significantly slow down degradation speed. A critical value of the Reynolds number is found to exist. When the Reynolds number is higher than the critical value, the autocatalysis was suppressed. The models reported in this article might serve as a guide to design 3D biodegradable implants.