title: Mechanical property and morphology changes in thin-film poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) during degradation in aqueous environments - biomed 2011.
abstract: A protocol for spin-casting uniform Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) thin films was developed and a variety of known solvents were evaluated for their impact on the quality of the films produced. Film thickness was quantified using a reflectometer and the elastic moduli were determined using a wavelength bucking technique. Qualitative observations of the films morphological characteristics were made using optical microscopy. These parameters were then monitored over time as PLGA thin films were exposed to mildly agitated aqueous buffer solutions at 37 °C. Initial results suggest that over the course of several weeks films undergo a reduction in thickness with a concomitant change in film morphology. Current efforts are focused on determining how the changes in the mechanical properties of these films are correlated with the degradation process, in order to elucidate the mechanism and provide guidance on the use of PLGA in biological applications involving mechanical stresses.
authors.affiliation: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dosmar
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Nolte