Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Polycaprolactone Scaffolds by Applying Piezoelectric Vibration System Based on a Dispensing Process: A New Concept

The mechanical properties of biomedical scaffolds are important for applications in tissue regeneration. The dispensing system described herein, which is based on a solid free-form fabrication technique, enables the production of design-based scaffolds with controllable pore structures. Although current plotting systems can easily fabricate a variety of three-dimensional scaffolds, the mechanical properties of these constructs are difficult to control because of low processing speed. To overcome this limitation, a new dispensing method, which uses a piezoelectric vibration system to improve mechanical properties, has been developed. Polycaprolactone (PCL) strands fabricated using this technique were roughly 70% stronger than normal PCL strands. To explain this increase in mechanical strength, the combined effects of the piezoelectric system and the melt-dispensing process on the crystalline morphology and molecular orientation of PCL strands were investigated. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 51:311-316, 2011. (C) 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers