Production and Characterisation of PCL/ES Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract

The combination of bio-fillers with synthetic polymers has been an exciting route for developing tissue engineering scaffolds, in particular for bone tissue regeneration. In this study, poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds were produced using an additive manufacturing technique and eggshell (ES) powder was used as a filler. The morphology of PCL and PCL/ES scaffolds were analysed and the effect of ES in the polymer matrix was characterized using techniques of Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermogravimetric Analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Morphological observation revealed that the incorporation of ES in the polymer matrix modifies the flow behaviour of the material in spite of the same processing parameters, resulting in a decrease of scaffold pore size. Thermal analysis showed that the addition of the bio-filler improves the crystallization properties and thermal stability of the PCL. FT-IR spectra of ES powder showed characteristic bands of calcium carbonate and processed materials spectra indicated no changes on the functional groups compared to non-processed materials. Crystalline nature of ES was demonstrated through a characteristic broad peak in XRD pattern around 30o, which was also observed in the composites XRD spectra. The results indicate the potential of ES powder to be used as a filler for bio-based polymer scaffold composites.