Polyurethane-based scaffolds for myocardial tissue engineering by Valeria Chiono, Pamela Mozetic, Monica Boffito, Susanna Sartori, Emilia Gioffredi, Antonella Silvestri, Alberto Rainer, Sara Maria Giannitelli, Marcella Trombetta, Daria Nurzynska, Franca Di Meglio, Clotilde Castaldo, Rita Miraglia, Stefania Montagnani, and Gianluca Ciardelli Interface Focus Volume 4(1): February 6, 2014 ©2014 by The Royal Society

ATR-FTIR spectrum of PU. Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

Storage (G′, triangles) and loss (G′′, squares) modulus as a function of temperature (temperature ramp test; heating scan from 80°C to 200°C at 10°C min−1; frequency = 0.5 rad s−1; strain = 0.5%). Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

G′ (triangles) and G′′ (squares) (a) and complex viscosity (b) as a function of frequency (frequency range = 0.1–100 rad s−1; strain = 0.5%; 165°C). Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

G′ (triangles) and G′′ (squares) as a function of time (time sweep test; frequency = 0.5 rad s−1; strain = 0.5%; 165°C; 30 min). Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

DSC thermograms of PU sample. Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

TGA and DTGA curves of PU. The analysis was carried out under air in the 50–800°C temperature range at a heating rate of 10°C min−1. Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

Percentage of weight as a function of time during isothermal TGA analysis at 165°C, for 1 h, under air. Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

(a) FEG-SEM micrograph of a PU scaffold obtained by melt-extrusion AM; (b) higher magnification detail of the trabecular arrangement. Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

Stress–strain behaviour during uniaxial tensile test (load cell: 10 N; strain rate: 0.8 min−1). Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

Optical and confocal micrographs of PU scaffold seeded with CPCs for 3 days: (a) phase contrast microscopy, scale bar 200 µm; (b–f) confocal microscopy merged images (magnification 10×) of Ki67 (b, green), actin (c,d, green), vimentin (e,f, green) and cell... Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

SEM micrographs of PU scaffolds cultured with human CPCs for (a) 7 and (b) 14 days. Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society

Proliferation of human CPCs in contact with PU scaffolds for 1, 4, 7 and 14 days assessed by measuring total DNA content. Valeria Chiono et al. Interface Focus 2014;4: ©2014 by The Royal Society