Chitosan Inverted Colloidal Crystal scaffolds: Influence of molecular weight on structural stability

Carlos F C João, Ana T. Kullberg, Jorge C. Silva, João P. Borges

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Chitosan with three different molecular weights (538 ± 48, 229 ± 45 and 13 ± 3 kDa) was used to develop biodegradable Inverted Colloidal Crystal (ICC) scaffolds with uniform pore size and interconnected pore network. Mass loss and compression modulus were analyzed after hydrolytic degradation in order to understand the influence of molecular weight on structural and mechanical degradation of chitosan ICC structures. Results show that medium molecular weight chitosan (229 ± 45 kDa) retains ICC structure and compression modulus for an extended period (4 weeks) and is therefore the preferred one for the production of ICC for soft tissue engineering.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)50-53
Number of pages4
JournalMaterials Letters
Volume193
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Apr 2017

Keywords

  • Chitosan
  • Compression modulus
  • Hydrolytic degradation
  • Inverted Colloidal Crystals
  • Polymers
  • Porous materials

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