Abstract
Porous titanium (Ti) offers several key attributes as a biomedical material. Among the known characteristics of Ti relevant to biomedical applications, the mechanical performance and effects of a pore structure on the deformation characteristics under compressive loading were examined. The space holder method was employed to generate Ti foams with target porosities of 60%, 70%, and 80%. A micro-computed to mography analysis and light and scanning electron microscopy were performed to examine the pore morphology and microstructure. The mechanical properties along with the elastic modulus and compressive strength were evaluated via uniaxial compression testing. Ti foam samples with three porosity levels displayed average elastic moduli and compressive strengths comparable with those of human cancellous and cortical bone. All the Ti foam samples had elastic moduli similar to those of cancellous bone with their open porous structures. Although the foam samples with ~60% porosity had compressive strength comparable to that of cortical bone, the samples with ~80% porosity displayed compressive strength similar to that of cancellous bone. The results indicate that Ti foam scaffolds produced using the space holder method have great potential for applications in hard tissue engineering, as their mechanical properties and pore structures are similar to those of bone.
Highlights
The superior biocompatibility, specific strength, and corrosion resistance of titanium (Ti) and its alloys have led to the extensive use of these materials in bone implants [1,2,3]
The selection of Mg powder size was informed by published work in which a pore size of 250 μm was found to assist cell migration, while optimal mechanical properties of the porous structure were achieved via high sphericity [2]
Previous researchers have argued that porous Ti with this type of connective three-dimensional network morphology could benefit bone formation, as well as supplying pathways for effective in-growth of bone [8]
Summary
The superior biocompatibility, specific strength, and corrosion resistance of titanium (Ti) and its alloys have led to the extensive use of these materials in bone implants [1,2,3]. A major problem with such implants is stress shielding due to the difference between the elastic moduli of implant materials (110 GPa for Ti) and that of bone (10–30 GPa). This difference leads to delayed bone healing, increased porosity in the bone surrounding the implant, and loosening of the implant [4,5]. These issues have generated growing interest in the development of metallic implant materials with reduced elastic moduli. While significant bone in-growth was reported for large pore sizes of 100–600 μm, small pore sizes of 75–100 μm show unmineralized osteoid tissue
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