Emulsion templated scaffolds manufactured from photocurable polycaprolactone

Emulsion templating is an emerging route for the production of highly porous scaffolds (PolyHIPEs) with interconnected porosity. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is one of the most extensively used synthetic, bioresorbable polymer for scaffold materials for both hard and soft tissues. PolyHIPEs have previously been shown to be challenging to formulate from PCL due to the high viscosity of the polymer, which limits the efficient mixing of the two phases of the emulsion. Herein, we present the development of PolyHIPEs made of photocurable 4-arm polycaprolactone methacrylate (4PCLMA) by optimizing the diluting solvent composition of the oil phase. The relationship between oil phase viscosity and solvent combinations, the balance between solvent and oil phase density were investigated. Tuning the balance of these parameters was found to be critical to obtain stable HIPEs.

Stable 4PCLMA HIPEs and 4PCLMA PolyHIPEs with open pores were successfully produced via using chloroform as a diluent, and via using chloroform/toluene blends as a diluent, we were able to tune the pore size. 4PCLMA PolyHIPE scaffolds were shown to be capable of supporting cell attachment, growth, and migration.