Effect of Foaming Condition on the Pore Characteristic for Porous Polycaprolactone/Hydroxyapatite (PCL/HA) Composite
Istikamah Subuki1, Suffiyana Akhbar2, Rahida Wati Sharudin3, Muhammad Hussain Ismail4
1Istikamah Subuki, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
2Suffiyana Akhbat, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
3Rahida Wati Sharudin, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
4Muhammad Hussain Ismail, Centre for Advanced Materials Research (CAMAR), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, MALAYSIA.

Manuscript received on 10 April 2019 | Revised Manuscript received on 18 May 2019 | Manuscript published on 30 May 2019 | PP: 3175-3180 | Volume-8 Issue-1, May 2019 | Retrieval Number: A1476058119/19©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: Porous polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite (PCL/HA) composite has a great potential as a scaffold materials for bone regeneration. The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of foaming conditions on the pore structure characteristics of porous PCL/HA composite. Foaming process was conducted at different temperatures (35, 40 and 45°C) and pressures (10, 20 and 30 MPa) after four hours of CO2 dissolution with fast depressurisation rate. The result found that the average pore diameter had increased with the increasing foaming temperature. However, with increasing foaming pressure, the average pore diameter had decreased significantly. The result found that at 45°C and 10 MPa, monomodal pore distribution was produced, with 61.53% of porosity and 116.78±8.94 μm successfully fabricated as high as at 40 wt% of HA. These pore characteristics are beneficial for the growth of bone tissue.
Index Terms: Polycaprolactone/Hydroxyapatite; Foaming; Supercritical Carbon Dioxide; Average Pore Diameter

Scope of the Article: Composite Materials