Polycaprolactone (PCL) foams were produced by thermally induced phase separation. Tetrahydrofuran/methanol (THF/MeOH) (solvent/non-solvent) mixture was used for the induction of liquid-liquid phase separation of PCL solutions at three different temperatures. Subsequent solvent exchange followed by vacuum drying yielded polymeric foams with different morphologies. Characterization of foams was obtained by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffractometry, mercury intrusion porosimetry and compression tests. Influence of polymer concentration (8, 10 and 12 wt%), quench temperature (4, −20 and −80 °C), and THF/MeOH ratio from (42/58) to (54/46) (wt/wt) on the foam formation, morphology and properties were investigated systematically. Lower PCL concentration, lower THF content and higher quench temperature lead to larger pore sizes in the foams obtained. Detailed discussions of the influence of processing parameters on foam structure and porosity, foam density, percent crystallinity and compressive properties are provided. By selectively tuning the process parameters, foams with controlled pore sizes (10–450 μm), porosity (83–91%) and morphology (cellular, bead-like, microspherical) were obtained.

聚己内酯（PCL）泡沫是通过热诱导相分离制得的。使用四氢呋喃/甲醇（THF / MeOH）（溶剂/非溶剂）混合物在三种不同温度下诱导PCL溶液的液相分离。随后的溶剂交换，然后真空干燥，得到具有不同形态的聚合物泡沫。泡沫的特征是通过扫描电子显微镜，X射线衍射法，压汞法和压缩试验获得的。聚合物浓度（8、10和12 wt％），淬火温度（4，-20和-80°C）和THF / MeOH比从（42/58）至（54/46）（wt / wt）的影响对泡沫的形成，形貌和性能进行了系统的研究。降低PCL浓度，较低的THF含量和较高的淬火温度导致所得泡沫的孔径更大。详细讨论了加工参数对泡沫结构和孔隙率，泡沫密度，结晶度百分比和压缩性能的影响。通过有选择地调整工艺参数，可以得到具有受控孔径（10-450μm），孔隙率（83-91％）和形态（多孔，珠状，微球形）的泡沫。