Surfactant-free gelatin-stabilised biodegradable polymerised high internal phase emulsions with macroporous structures

Frontiers in Chemistry

Chemistry

Victoria L. Workman¹  Rachel Furmidge¹  Vanessa Hearnden¹  Nicola H. Green¹  Gwendolen C. Reilly¹  Caitlin E. Jackson¹  María Fernanda Velázquez de la Paz¹  Frederik Claeyssens¹ 

[1] Materials Science and Engineering, The Kroto Research Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom;Insigneo Institute for In Silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom;

关键词: polyHIPE;    gelatin;    surfactant-free;    polycaprolactone;    poly(glycerol sebacate);    porous polymers;    emulsion templating;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fchem.2023.1236944

 received in 2023-06-08, accepted in 2023-08-10,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

High internal phase emulsion (HIPE) templating is a well-established method for the generation of polymeric materials with high porosity (>74%) and degree of interconnectivity. The porosity and pore size can be altered by adjusting parameters during emulsification, which affects the properties of the resulting porous structure. However, there remain challenges for the fabrication of polyHIPEs, including typically small pore sizes (∼20–50 μm) and the use of surfactants, which can limit their use in biological applications. Here, we present the use of gelatin, a natural polymer, during the formation of polyHIPE structures, through the use of two biodegradable polymers, polycaprolactone-methacrylate (PCL-M) and polyglycerol sebacate-methacrylate (PGS-M). When gelatin is used as the internal phase, it is capable of stabilising emulsions without the need for an additional surfactant. Furthermore, by changing the concentration of gelatin within the internal phase, the pore size of the resulting polyHIPE can be tuned. 5% gelatin solution resulted in the largest mean pore size, increasing from 53 μm to 80 μm and 28 μm to 94 µm for PCL-M and PGS-M respectively. In addition, the inclusion of gelatin further increased the mechanical properties of the polyHIPEs and increased the period an emulsion could be stored before polymerisation. Our results demonstrate the potential to use gelatin for the fabrication of surfactant-free polyHIPEs with macroporous structures, with potential applications in tissue engineering, environmental and agricultural industries.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Furmidge, Jackson, Velázquez de la Paz, Workman, Green, Reilly, Hearnden and Claeyssens.