Fabrication, structure and properties of three-dimensional biodegradable poly(glycerol sebacate urethane) scaffolds

Large, three-dimensional, porous poly(glycerol sebacate urethane) (PGSU) scaffolds were fabricated via a solvent-based synthesis approach followed by freeze-drying and curing. The scaffolds showed highly interconnected open-cell structures with porosities and pore sizes in the ranges of 77–88% and 55–74 μm, respectively. The mechanical properties were measured in dry and hydrated states during quasi-static and cyclic tensile and compression tests. Hydrated PGSU scaffolds featured tensile Young moduli, ultimate tensile strengths and elongations at break in the ranges of 29–32 kPa, 12–19 kPa and 50–57%, respectively. In vitro degradation tests of the PGSU scaffolds presented adjustable degradation rates and mass losses of 10–16% and 30–62% without and with the presence of lipase enzyme in 112 days, respectively. This work illustrates that the large and porous PGSU scaffolds, characterised with flexible and soft mechanical properties, as well as long-term stability and adjustable degradation kinetics, have high potential for applications in soft tissue engineering.