Preparation and mechanical properties of poly(chitosan-g-DL-lactic acid) fibrous mesh scaffolds

DL-lactic acid was grafted onto chitosan to produce poly(chitosan-g-DL-lactic acid)(PCLA) without using a catalyst. These PCLAs were then spun into filaments and further fabricated into fibrous mesh scaffolds using an improved wet-spinning technique. The diameter of filaments in different scaffolds could vary from a few micrometers to several tens of micrometers. The scaffolds exhibited various pore sizes ranging from about 20 mu m to more than 200 mu m and different porosities up to 80%. The several main processing conditions were optimized for obtaining the desired scaffolds with well-controlled structures. The tensile and compressive mechanical properties of the mesh scaffolds in both dry and hydrated states were mainly examined. Significantly improved tensile strength and modulus, enhanced compressive modulus, and stress as well as the dimensional stability for these mesh scaffolds in their hydrated state were observed. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.