Bioactive Glass-ceramic Scaffolds Research Articles

Fabrication of a Highly Porous Bioactive Glass–Ceramic Scaffold with a High Surface Area and Strength

A bioactive glass–ceramic scaffold was fabricated, in which two interlaced three‐dimensional (3‐D) glass–ceramic walls could serve as active surfaces for the formation of a bond to bone. For its fabrication, a 3‐D graphite network acting as a template was prepared using the rapid prototyping method, and then uniformly dip coated with a melt‐derived glass slurry. The resultant sample was heat treated at 900° or 1000°C for 5 h to remove the graphite network and densify the glass–ceramic walls. The fabricated sample exhibited an ultra‐high porosity (∼95%), high compressive strength (0.2±0.03 MPa), as well as a tightly controlled pore structure. In addition, this sample had a high surface area owing to its unique structure, which was expected to enhance the rate of bone growth.