| The ultimate objective of this thesis was to evaluate electrospun Poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) and Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends for vascular tissue engineering applications. Evaluation involved the following analytical methods: scanning electron microscopy, fiber diameter measurements, pore area measurements, tensile testing, differential calorimetery and phase contrast microscopy. Fiber diameters ranged from 0.9 ± 0.27 μm to1.3 ± 0.44 μm. This diameter range increased the surface area to volume ratio past conventional polymer processing methods. Pore areas ranged from 7.6 ± 5.5 μm2 to 27 ± 19 μm2. Tensile testing was done to determine: peak stress, modulus and percent strain at break. These values correlated with classical predictions for extrinsic (architectural) parameters but not for intrinsic parameters (chemical composition). Phase contrast microscopy suggested PLA and PGA were immiscible. Differential scanning calorimetry suggested that the composition containing 25% PLA and 75% PGA experienced a decrease in crystallinity due to processing effects. |
