Effect of Molecular Weight of PCL on the Structure and Mechanical Properties of PCL/PET Composite Vascular Scaffold Prototype

A new scaffold has been developed,which made from poly(ε-caprolactone)( PCL) membrane with porous structure,and reinforcement of PCL scaffold was achieved by embedding polyethylene terephthalate(PET) weft-knit tubular fabric. The aim of this paper is to study the variation tendency of the morphology and the mechanical properties of the sample with the changing of molecular weight. Weighing method was used to analyze the porosity of the sample,and scanning electron microscopy( SEM) images were taken to observe porous structure. The tensile and compressive strengths of the samples were tested by the universal mechanical tester and radial compression apparatus, respectively. And the results showed that the porosity and compressive strength were improved when increasing the molecular weight,and the elastic recovery rate was also improved slightly. However, molecular weight has little impact on the tensile strength properties,because the PET tubular fabric provides most of the strength support rather than PCL membrane.     

Effect of PLA Knitted Structure on the Mechanical Properties of Composite Vascular Scaffold

A new entire biodegradable scaffold has been developed which does not require precelluiarization before transplantation. This new kind of vascular scaffold prototype made from porous poly- e-caprolactone （PCL） membrane to provide three-dimensional environment for cell growth, and embedded with weft-knitted polylactic acid （PLA） fabric to support mechanics. The aim of this paper is to study the variation tendency of mechanical properties with the fabric spacing changing. The basic geometrical parameters were measured to characterize properties of the samples. The tensile and compressive elastic recovery of the samples were tested by the universal mechanical tester and radial compression apparatus, respectively. Both tensile and compressive properties enhanced when reducing the fabric spacing of the composite vascular scaffold.