Synthetic composite materials for use, for example, as orthopedic implants are described herein. In one example, a composite material for use as a scaffold includes a thermoplastic polymer forming a porous matrix that has continuous porosity and a plurality of pores. The porosity and the size of the pores are selectively formed during synthesis of the composite material. The example composite material also includes a plurality of a anisometric calcium phosphate particles integrally formed, embedded in, or exposed on a surface of the porous matrix. The calcium phosphate particles provide one or more of reinforcement, bioactivity, or bioresorption.

A device EA that manufactures a projection-bearing body CB in which projections CV are formed comprises: a material support unit 20 that executes a material support step of supporting a base material BM, by a support member 22 having a support surface 22A in which recesses 22B corresponding to the projections CV are formed; a press unit 30 that executes a pressing step of pressing the base material BM in a direction toward the support surface 22A to fill the plastic material PM in the recesses 22B and forming the projections CV from the plastic material to form the projection-bearing body CB; and a separating unit 60 that executes a separating step of separating the projection-bearing body CB from the support member 22. The support member 22 has a structure dividable into a plurality of support members, and the separating unit 60 includes an individually separating unit 63 that separates the divided first and second support member 22, 22 individually from the projection-bearing body CB.

Implantable devices for orthopedic, including spine and other uses are formed of porous reinforced polymer scaffolds. Scaffolds include a thermoplastic polymer forming a porous matrix that has continuously interconnected pores. The porosity and the size of the pores within the scaffold are selectively formed during synthesis of the composite material, and the composite material includes a plurality of reinforcement particles integrally formed within and embedded in the matrix and exposed on the pore surfaces. The reinforcement particles provide one or more of reinforcement, bioactivity, or bioresorption.

A microvascular system includes a solid polymeric matrix and a woven structure in the matrix. The woven structure includes a plurality of fibers, and a plurality of microfluidic channels, where at least a portion of the microfluidic channels are interconnected. The microvascular system may be made by forming a composite that includes a solid polymeric matrix and a plurality of sacrificial fibers in the matrix, heating the composite to a temperature of from 100 to 250 C., maintaining the composite at a temperature of from 100 to 250 C. for a time sufficient to form degradants from the sacrificial fibers, and removing the degradants from the composite. The sacrificial fibers may include a polymeric fiber matrix including a poly(hydroxyalkanoate) and a metal selected from the group consisting of an alkali earth metal and a transition metal, in the fiber matrix, where the concentration of the metal in the fiber matrix is at least 0.1 wt %.

A method for making a polymer with a porous layer from a solid piece of polymer is disclosed. In various embodiments, the method includes heating a surface of a solid piece of polymer to a processing temperature and holding the processing temperature while displacing a porogen layer through the surface of the polymer to create a matrix layer of the solid polymer body comprising the polymer and the porogen layer. In at least one embodiment, the method also includes removing at least a portion of the layer of porogen from the matrix layer to create a porous layer of the solid piece of polymer.

Provided herein are porous polymer monolith materials and processes that enable integration of blood fractionation, specific nucleic acid amplification and/or detection of nucleic acids from whole blood.

A porous ultra-thin polymer film has a film thickness of 10 nm-1000 nm. A method of producing the porous ultra-thin polymer film includes dissolving two types of mutually-immiscible polymers in a first solvent in an arbitrary proportion to obtain a solution; applying the solution onto a substrate and then removing the first solvent from the solution applied onto the substrate to obtain a phase-separated ultra-thin polymer film that has been phase-separated into a sea-island structure; and immersing the ultra-thin polymer film in a second solvent which is a good solvent for the polymer of the island parts but a poor solvent for a polymer other than the island parts to remove the island parts, thereby obtaining a porous ultra-thin polymer film.

A molded body is produced from a molding material including a continuous phase and a dispersed phase by a three-dimensionalization step, a curing step, and a peeling step. The continuous phase of the molding material is a water phase containing a curable compound. In the three-dimensionalization step, the molding material is placed in a container. In the curing step, the curable compound is cured to form a cured product after the three-dimensionalization step. In the peeling step, the container and the cured product are separated after the curing step. In the dispersed phase removal step, the dispersed phase of the cured product is removed after the curing step.

A molding device produces a porous film from a molding material which is an emulsion. In a case where a volume of a dispersed phase is X1 and a volume of a continuous phase is X2, the molding material has a value of X1/(X1+X2) within a range of 0.5 or more and 0.9 or less. In the molding material, a specific gravity of the dispersed phase is greater than a specific gravity of the continuous phase. The molding material includes a water phase containing a curable compound as the continuous phase, and forms a liquid film on a support. Thereafter, the curable compound in the liquid film is cured. After curing, the dispersed phase is removed.

In general, in various embodiments, the present disclosure is directed systems and methods for producing a porous surface from a solid piece of polymer. In particular, the present disclosure is directed to systems that include a track assembly, mold assembly, press assembly, and methods for using the same for producing a porous surface from a solid piece of polymer. In some embodiments, the present systems and methods are directed to processing a polymer at a temperature below a melting point of the polymer to produce a solid piece of polymer with an integrated a porous surface.