Does solvent casting and particulate leaching involve dissolving polymers and particles into an organic solvent, pouring the mixture into a mold, allowing solvent to evaporate, and washing away the particles?

The process described in the question accurately summarizes solvent casting and particulate leaching. This technique begins with dissolving a polymer in an organic solvent to create a homogeneous solution. In this mixture, particulate leaching involves incorporating solid particles—typically porous materials—that will provide structural properties to the final construct.

Once the polymer and particulate mixture is prepared, it is poured into a mold where it takes on the desired shape. The evaporation of the solvent is a crucial step, as it allows the polymer to solidify and form a matrix around the particles. After sufficient drying, the particles embedded in the polymer matrix can be removed or leached away. This is often done through washing with a solvent that does not affect the polymer but can dissolve and wash away the particles. The result is a porous scaffold that retains the shape of the mold while allowing interconnectivity between the pores, which is essential for functions like nutrient transport in tissue engineering applications.

Therefore, the correct answer is based on the fact that this method efficiently creates scaffolds with specific porosity characteristics required in tissue engineering.