Porous poly-L-lactic acid scaffold reinforced by chitin fibers

In this study, we reinforced the porous poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) scaffold by chitin fibers. To enhance the strength of the scaffold further, we launched the treatment linking PLLA and chitin fibers by Dicyclohexylcarbodimide (DCC). The structures of the composites with and without link treatment were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and porosity. The chemical characteristics of the chitin fibers with and without link treatment were evaluated by Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The mechanical strength was measured by compressive tests. The results suggest that after linked with PLLA successfully, the chitin fibers can reinforce the scaffold much more effectively. The linked scaffold, with the compressive strength 4 times than PLLA, also has better structure and pore size than the scaffold without link treatment. So it is a kind of very potential appropriate scaffold for tissue engineering.