Preparation and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/nano-hydroxyapatite composite membranes for tissue engineering.

: In this paper, the poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-PEG-poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/nano-hydroxyapatite (PVA/PCEC/n-HA) composite membranes were prepared by solution casting and evaporation methods. The effect of n-HA content on the properties of the composite membranes was studied. The PVA/PCEC/n-HA composite membranes were analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, water content measurement, contact angle, mechanical test, scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the surface roughness of the composite membranes increased with the increase of n-HA contents. The n-HA content had obvious influence on the swelling ratio, tensile strength and elongation rate of the composite membranes. With the increase of n-HA contents, the swelling ratio increased at first, and then decreased; tensile strength and elongation rate decreased gradually. The PVA/PCEC/n-HA composite membranes may be applied in the field of tissue engineering.