Vietnam National Universities – HCMC

International University
School of Biomedical Engineering

Course of Methods and Process in Fabrication of Scaffold

Semester 1 2023-2024

LAB #3
PARTICLE LEACHING

I. Outline
 Overview of particle leaching and gas foaming methods.
 Experimental protocols.
 Overview of some evaluation techniques for porous structure
II. Particle leaching and gas foaming method
 Solvent casting and particle leaching technique is a common method to create porous 3D
structures based on synthetic polymer, which are mostly applied as a scaffold for tissue
engineering. The typical particles for leaching step, known as porogens, include water-
soluble organic compound (such as gelatin, glucose) and inorganic salts (such as NaCl,
KCl).
 The fundamental principle of solvent casting and particle leaching technique includes (1)
dissolving polymer in a highly volatile solvent, (2) adding porogen(s) into the mixture,
(3) casting the solution into a mold, (4) evaporating solvent, (5) immersing the structure
into water to dissolve the porogen(s), and (6) drying the structure.
 Safety related to solvent hazard and chemical disposal should be noted.

Fig 1. Schematic of solvent leaching and particle leaching technique, based on PLGA and
NaCl (doi: 10.1089/jop.2015.0126)
 Vietnam National Universities – HCMC
International University
School of Biomedical Engineering

III. Experimental protocols

Step 1: Prepare 10 grams PCL solution 30% w/w in pure acetone by stirring at initial 60 oC
for 1 hours and then at room temperature. Divide it into two vials and weigh the PCL solution
in each vial (around 4 grams each vial).
Step 2: Prepare porogens: Sieve (425 m) the raw sodium chloride and monosodium
glutamate grains.
Step 3: Add the two porogens above to the corresponding PCL vial (each with a weight 2.5
times higher than the PCL solution), then quickly stir the mixture using a glass rod in 10-15
seconds and pour the slurry into 10 ml syringe. Gentle hand pressure is applied with a syringe
to create a firm structure in the mold and eliminate bubbles.
Step 4: Dry the syringe at room temperature for at least 24 h. Cut the head of the syringe by
using the blader, gently pump the mixture out.
Step 5: Immerse the dried structure with sodium chloride or monosodium glutamate porogen
into DW for 48 h, with several water replacements in the process.
Step 6: Dry the structure at 40 oC temperature for at least 48 h.
III. Evaluation techniques
Surface morphology: Scanning electron microscopy
Surface morphology of scaffold can be observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
technique, which mostly works in the range between tens of nanometers to hundreds of
micrometers. Based on the morphology, we can assess pore size distribution.
Wettability: Surface contact angle measurement
Contact angle measurement with water droplet provides information related to surface
wettability, which helps to elucidate material property, confirm composite combination or
surface modification, etc.
Compression strength measurement
The compression test can be performed to acquire the values of ultimate stress and strain of
the scaffold under compression using a texture analyzer.