of different materials, including synthetic polymers, such as poly
(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) [4, 5], a three-arm star PCL (∗PCL) [6–
8], and a poly(ethylene oxide terephthalate)/poly(butylene terephthalate) copolymer [9], a microbial biodegradable polyester, i.e.,
(poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate)]
(PHBHHx) [10, 11], PHBHHx/PCL blends [12], and novel
chitosan/poly(γ-glutamic
acid)
polyelectrolyte
complexes
[13, 14]. In addition, an innovative CAWS approach, involving
the controlled deposition of the coagulating fiber onto a rotating
cylinder, was recently developed to fabricate PCL and PHBHHx
samples with a tubular geometry investigated as potential biodegradable stents for small caliber blood vessels treatment [15].
In this book chapter, the protocol to manufacture PCL and
hydroxyapatite (HA)-loaded PCL scaffolds by CAWS is reported as
a representative example. The procedures for the preparation of
PCL solutions, the fabrication of PCL-based scaffolds, and the
post-fabrication treatment of the produced samples are described
in details. By following the same sequential preparation steps, other
kinds of polyester-based scaffolds can be easily fabricated by
employing the processing parameters reported in relevant experimental tables included in the chapter.
2 Materials
2.1 Reagents
1. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL, Mw ¼ 80,000 g/mol).
2. Hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles (size <200 nm).
3. Acetone.
4. Absolute ethanol.
2.2 Fabrication
Setup
1. An AM machine enabling the deposition of polymeric solutions
into a coagulation bath with a predefined 3D pattern and at a
controlled feed rate (Fig. 2) (see Note 1).
3 Methods
For a given polymer, the scaffold fabrication process requires identifying a set of optimized parameters, including the polymer’s
molecular weight (Mw) and concentration (C), the solvent/nonsolvent system, the needle gauge, the deposition velocity (V dep ), the
solution feed rate (F sol ), the initial distance between the needle tip
and the bottom of the deposition beaker (Z 0 ), the interfiber needle
translation (d XY ), and the interlayer needle translation (d Z ) (Fig. 1).
The experimental steps for the preparation of PCL80 0.5 scaffolds
(Mw ¼ 80,000 g/mol, d XY ¼ 0.5 mm) (Fig. 3) and the
corresponding composite PCL80/HA 0.5 scaffolds are described
Computer-Aided Wet-Spinning
103
(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) [4, 5], a three-arm star PCL (∗PCL) [6–
8], and a poly(ethylene oxide terephthalate)/poly(butylene terephthalate) copolymer [9], a microbial biodegradable polyester, i.e.,
(poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate)]
(PHBHHx) [10, 11], PHBHHx/PCL blends [12], and novel
chitosan/poly(γ-glutamic
acid)
polyelectrolyte
complexes
[13, 14]. In addition, an innovative CAWS approach, involving
the controlled deposition of the coagulating fiber onto a rotating
cylinder, was recently developed to fabricate PCL and PHBHHx
samples with a tubular geometry investigated as potential biodegradable stents for small caliber blood vessels treatment [15].
In this book chapter, the protocol to manufacture PCL and
hydroxyapatite (HA)-loaded PCL scaffolds by CAWS is reported as
a representative example. The procedures for the preparation of
PCL solutions, the fabrication of PCL-based scaffolds, and the
post-fabrication treatment of the produced samples are described
in details. By following the same sequential preparation steps, other
kinds of polyester-based scaffolds can be easily fabricated by
employing the processing parameters reported in relevant experimental tables included in the chapter.
2 Materials
2.1 Reagents
1. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL, Mw ¼ 80,000 g/mol).
2. Hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles (size <200 nm).
3. Acetone.
4. Absolute ethanol.
2.2 Fabrication
Setup
1. An AM machine enabling the deposition of polymeric solutions
into a coagulation bath with a predefined 3D pattern and at a
controlled feed rate (Fig. 2) (see Note 1).
3 Methods
For a given polymer, the scaffold fabrication process requires identifying a set of optimized parameters, including the polymer’s
molecular weight (Mw) and concentration (C), the solvent/nonsolvent system, the needle gauge, the deposition velocity (V dep ), the
solution feed rate (F sol ), the initial distance between the needle tip
and the bottom of the deposition beaker (Z 0 ), the interfiber needle
translation (d XY ), and the interlayer needle translation (d Z ) (Fig. 1).
The experimental steps for the preparation of PCL80 0.5 scaffolds
(Mw ¼ 80,000 g/mol, d XY ¼ 0.5 mm) (Fig. 3) and the
corresponding composite PCL80/HA 0.5 scaffolds are described
Computer-Aided Wet-Spinning
103