Ultrasound-assisted permeability improvement and acoustic characterization for solid-state fabricated PLA foams

• Published in: Ultrasonics sonochemistry Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 137 - 143
• Main Authors: Guo, Gepu, Ma, Qingyu, Zhao, Bo, Zhang, Dong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 01.01.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acoustic characterization; Biocompatible Materials - chemistry; Biocompatible Materials - metabolism; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Emulsions. Microemulsions. Foams; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Lactic Acid - chemistry; Lactic Acid - metabolism; Permeability; Permeability improvement; Physical chemistry of induced reactions (with radiations, particles and ultrasonics); Polyesters; Polymers - chemistry; Polymers - metabolism; Power ultrasound radiation; Solid-state foamed PLA foams; Tissue Engineering; Ultrasonic chemistry; Ultrasonics - methods; Acoustic characterization; Solid-state foamed PLA foams; Permeability improvement; Power ultrasound radiation; Sonochemistry; Saturation; Permeability; Characterization; Solid state; Acoustic properties; Foam; Substitution; Technology; Attenuation coefficient; Ultrasound
• ISSN: 1350-4177; 1873-2828; 1873-2828
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2012.06.001

► An ultrasound-assisted permeability improvement technology is proposed. ► Pulsed power ultrasound is employed to enhance the interconnectivity for PLA foams. ► An insert-substitution acoustic testing approach for the PLA foams is developed. ► The attenuation coefficient decreases exponentially with the saturation pressure. ► The attenuation coefficient shows linear behavior with the ultrasound radiation intensity. In the present study, power ultrasound is applied to improve the permeability of the solid-state fabricated PLA foams with different cell sizes. It is experimentally proved that cell interconnection and the permeability is improved with the increasing of power ultrasound radiation intensity. Furthermore, an insert-substitution testing approach is put forward to perform acoustic measurement and property characterization for the PLA foams before and after ultrasound radiation. The experimental results indicate that the attenuation coefficient of the close-celled PLA foams decreases exponentially with respect to the saturation pressure and it shows linear behavior with respect to the ultrasound radiation intensity. The favorable results suggest the feasibility of the proposed technologies of ultrasound-assisted permeability improvement and acoustic characterization for the application of the solid-state foamed PLA foams in tissue engineering.