Abstract
Microspheres with hollow and/or porous structures have been widely used in various applications. A new method of spraying and freezing emulsions was developed to prepare hollow HA (hydroxyapatite) microspheres with interconnected pores by using PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) as emulsifiers and binders. The relationships between viscosity and shear time or rates were tested and the dispersing stability of oil in water (O/W) emulsions was characterized with comparison to suspensions without the addition of oil phase. The effects of solid loadings of HA and the volume ratio between oil and water on the morphologies of microspheres were investigated. Hollow HA microspheres with particle diameter of ~ 20 μm and pore size of ~ 0.6 μm were successfully obtained by spray freezing method. Besides, drying and sintering processes were crucial to the formation of hollow and porous structures, respectively. The gentamicin loading and releasing of HA porous microspheres with different hollow volumes were tested.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1068-1074 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Materials Science and Engineering C - Biomimetics Materials Sensors and Systems |
| Volume | 69 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2016 |
Keywords
- Emulsions
- HA microspheres
- Hollow structures
- Porous structures