The interactions of a biodegradable scaffold with cells or living tissues depend on the time-evolution of the nanoscale properties of the scaffold. We present an in situ quantitative study on the early-stage swelling and degradation of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). A novel metrology scheme based on force microscopy measurements of the patterns of PLGA nanostructures is developed to characterize the evolution of topography, volume and nanomechanical properties. The volume and nanoscale roughness show an oscillating behaviour during the first eight days of immersion; at a later stage, we observe a continuous decrease of the volume. The effective Young's modulus exhibits a monotonic decrease from an initial value of about 2.4 GPa down to 9 MPa at day 14. The oscillating behaviour of the volume before the onset of full degradation is explained by a coupled diffusion-swelling mechanism. The appearance of a second maximum in the volume evolution results from the competition between swelling and degradation.

In situ nanomechanical characterization of the early stages of swelling and degradation of a biodegradable polymer / Dumitru, A. C; Espinosa, F. M.; Garcia, R.; Foschi, Giulia; Tortorella, S.; Valle, F.; Dallavalle, M.; Zerbetto, F.; Biscarini, Fabio. - In: NANOSCALE. - ISSN 2040-3364. - ELETTRONICO. - 7:12(2015), pp. 5403-5410. [10.1039/c5nr00265f]

In situ nanomechanical characterization of the early stages of swelling and degradation of a biodegradable polymer

FOSCHI, GIULIA;BISCARINI, FABIO
2015

Abstract

The interactions of a biodegradable scaffold with cells or living tissues depend on the time-evolution of the nanoscale properties of the scaffold. We present an in situ quantitative study on the early-stage swelling and degradation of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). A novel metrology scheme based on force microscopy measurements of the patterns of PLGA nanostructures is developed to characterize the evolution of topography, volume and nanomechanical properties. The volume and nanoscale roughness show an oscillating behaviour during the first eight days of immersion; at a later stage, we observe a continuous decrease of the volume. The effective Young's modulus exhibits a monotonic decrease from an initial value of about 2.4 GPa down to 9 MPa at day 14. The oscillating behaviour of the volume before the onset of full degradation is explained by a coupled diffusion-swelling mechanism. The appearance of a second maximum in the volume evolution results from the competition between swelling and degradation.
2015
7
12
5403
5410
In situ nanomechanical characterization of the early stages of swelling and degradation of a biodegradable polymer / Dumitru, A. C; Espinosa, F. M.; Garcia, R.; Foschi, Giulia; Tortorella, S.; Valle, F.; Dallavalle, M.; Zerbetto, F.; Biscarini, Fabio. - In: NANOSCALE. - ISSN 2040-3364. - ELETTRONICO. - 7:12(2015), pp. 5403-5410. [10.1039/c5nr00265f]
Dumitru, A. C; Espinosa, F. M.; Garcia, R.; Foschi, Giulia; Tortorella, S.; Valle, F.; Dallavalle, M.; Zerbetto, F.; Biscarini, Fabio
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
dumitru2015.pdf

Accesso riservato

Tipologia: Versione pubblicata dall'editore
Dimensione 2 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
2 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
Pubblicazioni consigliate

Licenza Creative Commons
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNIMORE sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono rilasciati con licenza Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale (CC BY 4.0), salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1081772
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 4
  • Scopus 18
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 19
social impact