Foaming of Polycaprolactone and Its Impregnation with Quercetin Using Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub>
Ignacio García-Casas,
Antonio Montes,
Diego Valor,
Clara Pereyra,
Enrique J. Martínez de la Ossa
Affiliations
Ignacio García-Casas
Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Cádiz, International Excellence Agrifood Campus (CeiA3), 11510 Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain
Antonio Montes
Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Cádiz, International Excellence Agrifood Campus (CeiA3), 11510 Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain
Diego Valor
Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Cádiz, International Excellence Agrifood Campus (CeiA3), 11510 Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain
Clara Pereyra
Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Cádiz, International Excellence Agrifood Campus (CeiA3), 11510 Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain
Enrique J. Martínez de la Ossa
Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Cádiz, International Excellence Agrifood Campus (CeiA3), 11510 Puerto Real (Cádiz), Spain
Foamed polycaprolactone impregnated with quercetin was carried out with a batch foaming technique using supercritical CO2. The experimental design was developed to study the influence of pressure (15−30 MPa), temperature (308−333 K), and depressurization rate (0.1−20) on the foam structure, melting temperature, and release tests of composites. The characterization of the experiments was carried out using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometer, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. It was observed that the porosity created in the polymer had a heterogeneous structure, as well as the impregnation of the quercetin during the process. On the other hand, controlled release tests showed a significant delay in the release of quercetin compared to commercial quercetin.
