Synthesis of Pristine Chitosan Foams with Enhanced Pore Structure, Surface Area, and Mechanical Strength for Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

With its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and antimicrobial activity, chitosan is a promising scaffold material for hard-tissue engineering. Yet, pristine chitosan foams typically lack the strength and porosity required for such use. Here we present a simple emulsion-templating approach to fabricate pristine chitosan foams with optimized strength and porosity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a widely used biocompatible anionic surfactant, was employed at trace levels to aid polymerization. The foams display a dual-scale pore morphology. Cavities of 150-300 mu m are separated by around 50 mu m thick chitosan walls containing large interconnecting openings. The walls are further populated with meso- and macropores of 50-500 nm. This architecture should support cell attachment and growth, facilitate proliferation, and enhance nutrient transport and metabolic exchange. The structure yields high surface area (up to 10 m2 g-1). Mechanically, the thick-walled cavities impart both elastic recovery and high compressive resistance (255 kPa at 40% strain from foams polymerized with 4% chitosan). A preliminary drug-release study using vancomycin confirmed excellent loading and sustained release.