Surface Etching of 3D Printed Poly(lactic acid) with NaOH: A Systematic Approach

• Main Authors: Matthias Schneider, Nora Fritzsche, Agnieszka Puciul-Malinowska, Andrzej Baliś, Amr Mostafa, Ilko Bald, Szczepan Zapotoczny, Andreas Taubert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: surface modification; sodium hydroxide etching; poly(lactic acid), 3D printing; roughness; wettability; erosion
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/8/1711
• ISSN: 2073-4360

The article describes a systematic investigation of the effects of an aqueous NaOH treatment of 3D printed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) scaffolds for surface activation. The PLA surface undergoes several morphology changes and after an initial surface roughening, the surface becomes smoother again before the material dissolves. Erosion rates and surface morphologies can be controlled by the treatment. At the same time, the bulk mechanical properties of the treated materials remain unaltered. This indicates that NaOH treatment of 3D printed PLA scaffolds is a simple, yet viable strategy for surface activation without compromising the mechanical stability of PLA scaffolds.