Deposition of biodegradable poly (d,l-lactic acid) films using aerosol-assisted method

Biodegradable polymers have received increasing interests for biomedical applications. The surface morphology of biodegradable polymer films plays an important role for their applications in cell growth and tissue engineering. The conventional processes for the preparation of biodegradable polymer films are mainly based on solution-casting and melting methods, which are time-consuming and tend to be uncontrollable. For a better control of the surface morphology, an aerosol-assisted deposition process has been developed for the deposition of biodegradable poly (d,l-lactic acid) (PDLLA) films. It involves atomizing and transporting polymer fine droplets towards a heated substrate. With the evaporation of solvent, PDLLA films can be deposited rapidly on the substrate. In the aerosol-assisted deposition process, the thickness of the films can be controlled by the deposition time, and the surface morphology of the films is adjustable from highly porous to dense structure.