Scaffolds and methods of forming the same
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsPeter X. Ma, Haiyun Ma
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Abstract
Various embodiments of scaffolds are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the scaffold includes a tubular polymeric structure, and a controlled gradient of solid-walled microtubules oriented radially or axially in the tubular polymeric structure. In another embodiment, the scaffold includes a nano-fibrous tubular polymeric structure, and an oriented and interconnected microtubular porous network formed in the nano-fibrous tubular polymeric structure. In still another embodiment, a composite scaffold is formed including a polymeric structure having an inner wall and an outer wall, and at least one electrospun layer positioned along at least one of the inner wall, or the outer wall, or in a middle of the porous polymeric structure.
Claims8
A scaffold, comprising:
- a tubular polymeric structure having:
- an outer cylindrical wall;
- and an inner cylindrical wall defining a longitudinal bore therethrough;
- a controlled gradient of a plurality of solid-walled microtubules oriented radially between the outer cylindrical wall and the inner cylindrical wall in the tubular polymeric structure;
- and
- a controlled gradient of a plurality of radially oriented microtubule pores, each pore defined between an adjacent pair of solid-walled microtubules;
- wherein:
- an average pore size of each of the plurality of microtubule pores decreases from the inner cylindrical wall of the tubular polymeric structure to the outer cylindrical wall of the tubular polymeric structure;
- or
- an average pore size of each of the plurality of microtubule pores decreases from the outer cylindrical wall of the tubular polymeric structure to the inner cylindrical wall of the tubular polymeric structure;
- and wherein the controlled gradients of the plurality of solid-walled microtubules and the plurality of radially oriented microtubule pores are formed using a multi-directional, radially oriented temperature gradient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.