Processing–Structure–Degradation Relationships in Additively Manufactured and Cast PLA/PCL Blends

Abstract

This study explores the effects of varying polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) blend ratios on the rheological properties, printability, and structural performance of scaffolds fabricated by electrohydrodynamic writing(EHD). The blends were prepared in weight ratios of 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50, and 0/100 (PLA/PCL) and systematically evaluated to determine their influence on ink viscosity, extrusion behavior, scaffold fidelity, and mechanical integrity. The results demonstrate that increasing PCL content reduces viscosity, enhancing extrudability and enabling finer resolution in printed structures. However, this requires careful optimization of printing pressure and nozzle diameter to maintain structural stability. Intermediate blends (e.g., 70/30 or 60/40) demonstrated the best balance between printability, mechanical strength, and controlled degradation, making them promising for tissue engineering applications. The study highlights the advantages of EHD as a precision additive manufacturing technique, enabling controllable degradation behavior through tuning of degradation kinetics via blend composition. Overall, this work demonstrates that optimizing PLA/PCL blend composition enables the fabrication of mechanically robust biopolymer structures with controlled degradation profiles, reinforcing their potential for food packaging, biomedical devices, or even the patient-specific tissue regeneration.