Single Solvent-Based Film Casting Method for the Production of Porous Polymer Films

A single solvent-based film casting process for fabricating porous polymer films is developed in this study. The porous film is produced by mixing concentrated polylactic acid (PLA)/chloroform solution (20 wt%) and fresh chloroform solvent is followed by film casting. The average pore sizes of the films produced are seen to increase from 2.1 (+/- 0.1) mu m to 6.4 (+/- 0.2) mu m with increasing ratio of concentrated PLA solution and fresh solvent from 1:2 to 1:4. Functional groups of PLA after casting into porous film are confirmed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Cytocompatibility studies (via Alamar Blue assessment) utilizing MG-63 cells on the porous PLA films reveal an increase in cell metabolic activity up to 8 d postseeding. In addition, these direct cell culture studies show that the porous membranes support cell adhesion and growth not only on the surface but also through the porous structures of the membrane, highlighting the suitability of these porous films in tissue engineering applications.