Application of microwave energy for rapid fabrication of nano-hydroxyapatite reinforced polycaprolactone composite foam

This research work is aimed to utilize microwave energy for rapid fabrication of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) reinforced polycaprolactone (PCL) composite foam. Weight fraction of nHA and NaCl was fixed at 20% and 30%, by weight, respectively. The NaCl was acts as microwave absorber as well as the porogen agent in the composite. The interconnected porosity was induced by leaching of the NaCl particles from composite in an ultrasonicator bath. The influence of microwave process parameters such as microwave power and exposure time was studied on mechanical and microstructural feature of PCL/nHA composite foam. (C) 2019 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.