Abstract
The present study illustrates the manufacturing method of hierarchically porous 3D scaffolds based on åkermanite as a promising bioceramic for stereolithography. The macroporosity was designed by implementing 3D models corresponding to different lattice structures (cubic, diamond, Kelvin, and Kagome). To obtain micro-scale porosity, flame synthesized glass microbeads with 10 wt% of silicone resins were utilized to fabricate green scaffolds, later converted into targeted bioceramic phase by firing at 1100 °C in air. No chemical reaction between the glass microspheres, crystallizing into åkermanite, and silica deriving from silicone oxidation was observed upon heat treatment. Silica acted as a binder between the adjacent microspheres, enhancing the creation of microporosity, as documented by XRD, and SEM coupled with EDX analysis. The formation of ‘spongy’ struts was confirmed by infiltration with Rhodamine B solution. The compressive strength of the sintered porous scaffolds was up to 0.7 MPa with the porosity of 68–84%.
Highlights
Accepted: 11 January 2022From a synthetic bone graft engineering perspective, the integration of multi-scale porosity in 3D scaffolds is highly attractive [1,2]
The present paper aims at the development of an alternative strategy, consisting of the exploration of silicone resin as a binder additive that yields upon heating a SiO2 -rich phase
Flame synthesis useful The for the production of glass microspheres provided by the ceramic residue of the silicone additive
Summary
From a synthetic bone graft engineering perspective, the integration of multi-scale (macro-sized combined with micro- and nano-sized) porosity in 3D scaffolds is highly attractive [1,2]. Interconnected macropore networks (>100 μm) are essential for bone ingrowth, bone regeneration, and nutrient transport/waste evacuation, whereas micro- and nano-porosity aids cells adhesion and cell evolution [3]. The mechanical properties of the grafted scaffolds are often compromised as the result of increased porosity. For load-bearing sites, a fine balance of mechanical support during degradation is important since the load should be slowly transferred to the regenerating bone tissue. Fine-tuning of these properties to achieve materials exhibiting a high strength-todensity ratio—with an optimal microstructure—is imperative, but still an open issue in the field of bone tissue engineering (BTE). The structure of macroporous scaffolds can be tailored using computer-aided design
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