Undergraduate Research and Capstones

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Browsing Undergraduate Research and Capstones by Subject "-DA"

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    The Effects of EtO Sterilization and Polydopamine Coating on PCL-DA/PLLA Semi-IPN Scaffolds
    (2019-04-25) Houk, Christopher; Grunlan, Melissa A
    The current gold standard for repair of cranial bone defects is an autograft procedure which, while having its advantages, lacks proper fitting and is limited by irregular wound geometries. A regenerative approach to cranial bone defects is self-fitting shape-memory polymers (SMPs) tissue scaffolds which are capable of complex geometries and conforming to fit of the defect. Poly(ε-caprolactone)-(diacrylate) (PCL-DA) is a widely studied SMP with few disadvantages such as slow degradation rates (~1-2 years) and lack of osteoconductivity. Thus, in order to improve upon these properties, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) is included as a semi- interpenetrating (semi-IPN) component within the PCL-diacrylate (PCL-DA) network forming a network, wherein PCL-DA is chemically crosslinked while PLLA is independently embedded within the polymer network. Furthermore, in order to promote cell adhesion and aid in neotissue formation, scaffolds are coated with polydopamine to promote bioactivity. After fabrication, scaffolds undergo ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization prior to implantation. In this study, shape- memory behavior, mechanical properties, and degradation of SMP scaffolds treated with and without EtO sterilization, coated and non-coated will be evaluated to ensure scaffold properties are not negatively affected and maintain desired functionality.