Feasible Digital Light Processing Three-Dimensional Printing of a Biodegradable Porous Polymer with a High Internal Phase Emulsion Structure

Poly(lactic acid)-based porous polymer with an interconnected pore structure and superior pore morphology was successfully fabricated by one-step digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. To provide biodegradation property and UV-reactivity, a photocurable resin was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of lactide and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). The resin was fabricated by an emulsion templating method called high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) for introducing pore structure in 3D printing. The final product ended up exhibiting biodegradable characteristics and had lactic acid components. The enzymatic degradation tests verified the influence of the biodegradable moiety and confirmed that erosion tendency is impacted by pore structure.