PCL and DMSO₂ Composites for Bio-Scaffold Materials

Polycaprolactone (PCL) has been one of the most popular biomaterials in tissue engineering due to its relatively low melting temperature, excellent thermal stability, and cost-effectiveness. However, its low cell attraction, low elastic modulus, and long-term degradation time have limited its application in a wide range of scaffold studies. Dimethyl sulfone (DMSO₂) is a stable and non-hazardous organosulfur compound with low viscosity and high surface tension. PCL and DMSO₂ composites may overcome the limitations of PCL as a biomaterial and tailor the properties of biocomposites. In this study, PCL and DMSO₂ composites were investigated as a new bio-scaffold material to increase hydrophilicity and mechanical properties and tailor degradation properties in vitro. PCL and DMSO₂ were physically mixed with 10, 20, and 30 wt% of DMSO₂ to evaluate thermal, hydrophilicity, mechanical, and degradation properties of the composites. The water contact angle of the composites for hydrophilicity decreased by 15.5% compared to pure PCL. The experimental results showed that the mechanical and degradation properties of PCL and DMSO₂ were better than those of pure PCL, and the properties can be tuned by regulating DMSO2 concentration in the PCL matrix. The elastic modulus of the composite with 30 wt% of DMSO2 showed 532 MPa, and its degradation time was 18 times faster than that of PCL.