Résumé
Purpose: The aim of this study was to design and build porous microstructures with shape memory behaviour using biodegradable poly(D, L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate) dimethacrylate macromers. These microstructures could be advantageous for tissue engineering and other advanced biomedical applications.
Methods: Porous structures with a gyroid pore network architecture showing average pore sizes of 930 mu m and complete pore interconnectivity were prepared by stereolithography. Built structures were characterized by micro-computed tomography (mu-CT). Shape recovery and shape fixity of microstructures after 40% and 70% compression were evaluated.
Results: At 37 C the flexible structures showed compression modulus values of 60 KPa and could be fully compressed. Thermal analysis showed that the built networks were amorphous with Tg values of 23 C. After compression to 40 and 70%, shape fixity and shape recovery of the structures at respectively 0 degrees C and 37 degrees C was almost quantitative.
Conclusions: The well-defined pore network characteristics and the shape-memory properties of these structures allow their use as deployable tissue engineering scaffolds.