Self-propelled particles include both self-phoretic synthetic colloids and various micro-organisms. By continually consuming energy, they bypass the laws of equilibrium thermodynamics. These laws enforce the Boltzmann distribution in thermal equilibrium: the steady state is then independent of kinetic parameters. In contrast, self-propelled particles tend to accumulate where they move more slow...

Guide regeneration techniques have been recently used to heal soft and hard tissue defects. In this approach, scaffolding plays an important role. Hydroxypatite (HA) resembles the natural bone mineral and has shown good bone bonding properties. In this work, porous polyurethanes have been prepared by a thermally induced phase separation technique. Freeze drying of the separated polymer/solvent ...

Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) scaffolds with 3D microporous interconnected architecture and crystallized PBS substructures have been prepared by thermally-induced phase separation (TIPS). Curcumin (CUR) piperine (PIP) natural drugs were incorporated into the matrices during a one-step fabrication protocol. Alterations in TIPS parameters such as solvent system (1,4 dioxane (DXN) or THF) cooling...

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) porous membranes are fabricated via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) with mixed diluent (dibutyl phthalate (DBP)/dioctyl phthalate (DOP)). The effects of mixed diluent are discussed in detail in term of morphology, mean pore size, selective wettability, etc. The results show that the membrane structure changes from spherulitic to...

Scaffolds with intrinsically interconnected porous structures are highly desirable in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, three-dimensional polymer scaffolds with highly interconnected porous structures were fabricated by thermally induced phase separation of novel synthesized biodegradable poly(propylene fumarate)-co-poly(l-lactic acid) in a dioxane/water binary system...

The mechanical behaviour of a new type of open-cell foam made by a thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) process was investigated. Foams made by the TIPS process are characterized by cell sizes which are 10-100 times smaller than conventional foam materials. In this work, the linear elastic modulus of these foams in dynamic tension/compression was measured. A comparison was made with the th...