Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Composite Scaffolds of Interfacial Polyelectrolyte Fibers for Temporally Controlled Release of Biomolecules
Published on: August 19, 2015
Influence of Porosity on the Morpho-Structure, Physical-Chemical and Biochemical Characteristics of Polylactic Acid
Anca Peter1, Manuel Brendon Monea1, Anca Mihaly Cozmuta1
1Faculty of Sciences, Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Victoriei 76, 430072 Baia Mare, Romania.
Abstract:
The design and development of scaffolds play a crucial role in tissue engineering. In this regard, the study aims to establish the influence of porosity on the morpho-structural, physical-chemical, and biochemical characteristics of the polylactic acid (PLA) and/or polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds, in order to be considered candidates for tissue reconstruction. The results indicated that binary PLA-PCL and PCL matrices are more suitable than PLA, due to their higher crystallization degree, this contributing to the superior mechanical properties and lower network defects. The preponderance of molecular interactions decreases with porosity. Porosity induced a decrease in the degree of crystallization of PLA-PCL and an increase in water, glucose and blood components uptake by 188, 178, and 28%, respectively. The PLA-PCL scaffold was found to be more stable to lipase action than neat PLA as a result of the reduced enzyme access due to the higher crystallinity and thermodynamic stability of the hydrocarbon linear chain in PCL, which is higher than that of the side methyl group in PLA. Lactobacillus growth increases with porosity and was more pronounced on the PLA-PCL matrix. All these results show that varying the porosity and composition of the polymer mixture leads to valuable materials with nutrient absorption capacity and biodegradability superior to neat PLA or PCL materials.
Related Concept Videos
Molecular Shapes
Protein and Protein Structure
A protein's shape is critical to its function. For example, an enzyme can...
Molecular Structure and Acidity
The size effect explains the change in atomic size on acidity. When comparing the acids formed from elements that belong to the same column in the periodic table, their atomic sizes...
Structures of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives
Carboxylic acid derivatives contain an acyl group attached to a heteroatom such as chlorine, oxygen, or nitrogen. The carbonyl carbon and oxygen are both sp2-hybridized with an unhybridized p orbital.
The three sp2 orbitals of the carbonyl carbon form three σ bonds, one each with the carbonyl oxygen, the α carbon, and the heteroatom, whereas the other two sp2 orbitals of the carbonyl oxygen are occupied by the lone pairs. Further, the unhybridized p...
Multi-pass Transmembrane Proteins and β-barrels
α-Helix containing multi-pass transmembrane proteins
Multi-pass transmembrane proteins such as G-protein-linked receptors (GPCRs) and...
Physical Properties of Carboxylic Acids

