Microfluidic Technology for the Production of Well-Ordered Porous Polymer Scaffolds

Abstract

Advances in tissue engineering (TE) have revealed that porosity architectures, such as pore shape, pore size and pore interconnectivity are the key morphological properties of scaffolds. Well-ordered porous polymer scaffolds, which have uniform pore size, regular geometric shape, high porosity and good pore interconnectivity, facilitate the loading and distribution of active biomolecules, as well as cell adhesion, proliferation and migration. However, these are difficult to prepare by traditional methods and the existing well-ordered porous scaffold preparation methods require expensive experimental equipment or cumbersome preparation steps. Generally, droplet-based microfluidics, which generates and manipulates discrete droplets through immiscible multiphase flows inside microchannels, has emerged as a versatile tool for generation of well-ordered porous materials. This short review details this novel method and the latest developments in well-ordered porous scaffold preparation via microfluidic technology. The pore structure and properties of microfluidic scaffolds are discussed in depth, laying the foundation for further research and application in TE. Furthermore, we outline the bottlenecks and future developments in this particular field, and a brief outlook on the future development of microfluidic technique for scaffold fabrication is presented.

Microfluidic Particle Reactors: From Interface Characteristics to Cells and Drugs Related Biomedical Applications

“…In general, porosity architectures, such as pore shape, pore size, and pore interconnectivity, are the key morphological properties of porous scaffolds. [48,49] Uniform pore size and regular geometric shape can produce more subtle and dense compartmentalized spaces, facilitating the encapsulation and distribution of active biomolecules. Moreover, high porosity and good pore interconnectivity are beneficial to cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration.…”

In vivo study of dual functionalized mussel-derived bioactive peptides promoting 3D-printed porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds for repair of rabbit femoral defects

“…do not provide stability and control over the external shape and pore network of the scaffolds. 41,42 In order to solve this technical problem, 3D printing technology came into being. 42 3D printing can precisely control its internal structure and external shape, which helps to control the parameters of the porous structure and reduce experimental errors.…”

Polymeric materials and processes to produce facial reconstruction implants: A review

“…Lattice structures are optimised through controlling these internal geometry designs, and in this way mechanical properties of implants can also be tailored for [18]. Lattice structures should be easy to handle during the surgical procedure, and their mechanical behaviour should be consistent with the bone with which it will interact and be integrated [36,39]. In the context of non-degradable materials and permanent implants, the use of porous implant structures is preferred over solid implant structures with stiffness that is a lot higher than that of the surrounding bones as is often the case with many metallic materials.…”

“…During stress shielding, the surrounding bone is gradually broken down into its constituents which will be scattered around and allow the bone to remodel into new bone resulting in implant loosening and displacement [21]. As mentioned before, polymeric materials are flexible, formable and can thus be easily fine tuned into structures with desirable mechanical properties suitable for use as facial implants in the medical field [38,39]. The challenges of implant slipping, and extrusions associated with the use of polymeric implant materials in facial reconstruction can be overcome when they are used as porous structures.…”