In this paper, we report on the development of a new and broadly applicable strategy to produce thermally mendable polymeric materials, demonstrated with an epoxy/poly(-caprolactone) (PCL) phase-separated blend. The initially miscible blend composed of 15.5 wt % PCL undergoes polymerization-induced phase separation during cross-linking of the epoxy, yielding a "bricks and mortar" morphology whe...

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have received attention for a myriad of potential applications including catalysis, gas storage, and gas separation. Coordinatively unsaturated metal ions often enable key functional behavior of these materials. Most commonly, MOFs have been metalated from the condensed phase (i.e., from solution). Here we introduce a new synthetic strategy capable of metallating...

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) stands out as the most promising biodegradable alternative to conventional petrochemical-based polymers for manufacturing of high-performance materials applied in medicine, pharmacy, food, textile, and electronic industry. This review was aimed present up-to-date technologies PLA processing including melt blending molding, hot extrusion, 3D printing, foaming, impregnatio...

Materials Polypropylene microfiltration membranes were obtained from Membrana GmbH (Germany) and Beijing Normal University (China), respectively. One was prepared by thermally induced phase separation with mean pore size of 0.2 μm and porosity of 75%, another was prepared by biaxially orientation with mean pore size of 0.20.02 μm and porosity of 45%. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) microfiltr...

A silk fibroin/poly (vinyl alcohol) porous scaffold with a water vapor transmission rate of 2125 ± 464 g/m(2)/day has been developed via thermally induced phase separation (gelation) and freeze-drying process. A hierarchical architecture of micropores and nanofibers was observed inside the scaffolds, and the related structures were analyzed. The viability and proliferation of 3T3 fibroblasts we...

One of the most important goals of tissue engineering is the design and the generation of a biocompatible porous 3-D structure, with high porosity, high interconnectivity and homogenous morphology. Nevertheless, the implantation of engineered biomaterials might cause local inflammation because of the host’s immune response. To overcome this limitation, in this study, 3-D polymeric composite sca...

The influence of copolymer composition on Poly(Lactide-co-Glycolide)/nanohydroxyapatite (PLGA/nHA) composite scaffolds is studied in the context of bone tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The composite scaffolds are fabricated by thermally-induced phase separation and the effect of bioactive nanoparticles on their in vitro degradation in phosphate-buffered solution at 37 °C is analyz...

Tissue engineering scaffolds play a vital role in regenerative medicine. It not only provides a temporary 3-dimensional support during tissue repair, but also regulates the cell behavior, such as cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. In this review, we summarize the development and trends of functional scaffolding biomaterials including electrically conducting hydrogels and nano-com...

The thermally induced warpage of electronic substrates is a significant concern in manufacturing processes. The ability to evaluate substrate behavior with respect to temperature is particularly important to manufacturing engineers. Previous measurement of thermally induced warpage on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) using general Shadow Moiré cannot provide enough sensitivity for modern electroni...