Microfabrication Technology of Biodegradable Polymers for Interconnecting Microstructures

A microtechnology for synthetic biodegradable polymers has been developed to fabricate three-dimensionally (3-D) shaped and microstructured multilayer constructs for biomedical applications. A unique micromolding method is proposed to create deep and interconnecting microstructures which facilitate cellular scale interconnection across the layers for cell-to-cell communication and the supply of nutrients and oxygen. A geometrical condition and molding setup for interconnecting microstructuring are described and demonstrated experimentally. Furthermore, various types of synthetic biodegradable polymers are explored and compared with regard to the behavior during the proposed process. Considering the thermal instability of synthetic biodegradable polymers, it is also confirmed that the proposed process does not affect the property of the polymers. Finally, microfabricated 3-D multilayer constructs is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the technology as a unique scaffolding method