Abstract
Porous hydroxyapatite (HA) artificial bone scaffolds were prepared via the freeze-gel casting process in order to improve their mechanical strengths. As a porogen, various volumes of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) powders were added to obtain high porosity, such as in cancellous bone. After fabrication, the porous and mechanical properties of the scaffolds were examined. The HA60 scaffold, with a porosity over 80%, had proper compressive strength and modulus and satisfied the range of properties of cancellous bone. Moreover, it was found that the investigated mechanical properties were affected by the scaffolds’ porosity. However, a section was found where the compressive strength was high despite the increase in the porosity. Specifically, HA30 had a porosity of 62.9% and a compressive strength of 1.73 MPa, whereas the values for HA60 were 81.9% and 3.23 MPa, respectively. The results indicate that there are factors that can preserve the mechanical properties even if the porosity of the scaffold increases. Therefore, in this study, various parameters affecting the porous and mechanical properties of the scaffolds during the manufacturing process were analyzed. It is expected that the improvement in the mechanical properties of the artificial bone scaffold having a high porosity can be applied to tissue engineering.
Highlights
The development and manufacturing of artificial bone scaffolds are among the major directions of tissue engineering [1,2,3]
HA powder calcined at 1000 ◦ C was analyzed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and an HA phase was observed, which was consistent with the HA of ICSD No 01-072-1243 (Figure 2a)
The compressive elastic modulus increased in the order of HA60, HA0, and HA30
Summary
The development and manufacturing of artificial bone scaffolds are among the major directions of tissue engineering [1,2,3]. Scaffolds were developed as empty matrices for adhesion and proliferation of migrating cells and are used for drug-delivery systems owing to their porous architecture [4,5,6]. They have been utilized for supporting cell structures [7,8]. Multiple factors, including the biocompatibility, bioactivity, and porous and mechanical properties, have been considered for the development of bone scaffolds.
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