Open Surface Pores Research Articles

Computational biomechanical study on hybrid implant materials for the femoral component of total knee replacements

Multifunctional materials have been described to meet the diverse requirements of implant materials for femoral components of uncemented total knee replacements. These materials aim to combine the high wear and corrosion resistance of oxide ceramics at the joint surfaces with the osteogenic potential of titanium alloys at the bone-implant interface. Our objective was to evaluate the biomechanical performance of hybrid material-based femoral components regarding mechanical stress within the implant during cementless implantation and stress shielding (evaluated by strain energy density) of the periprosthetic bone during two-legged squat motion using finite element modeling. The hybrid materials consisted of alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ) ceramic joined with additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V or Ti–35Nb–6Ta alloys. The titanium component was modeled with or without an open porous surface structure. Monolithic femoral components of ATZ ceramic or Co–28Cr–6Mo alloy were used as reference. The elasticity of the open porous surface structure was determined within experimental compression tests and was significantly higher for Ti–35Nb–6Ta compared to Ti–6Al–4V (5.2 ± 0.2 GPa vs. 8.8 ± 0.8 GPa, p < 0.001). During implantation, the maximum stress within the ATZ femoral component decreased from 1568.9 MPa (monolithic ATZ) to 367.6 MPa (Ti–6Al–4V/ATZ), 560.9 MPa (Ti–6Al–4V/ATZ with an open porous surface), 474.9 MPa (Ti–35Nb–6Ta/ATZ), and 648.4 MPa (Ti–35Nb–6Ta/ATZ with an open porous surface). The strain energy density increased at higher flexion angles for all models during the squat movement. At ∼90° knee flexion, the strain energy density in the anterior region of the distal femur increased by 25.7 % (Ti–6Al–4V/ATZ), 70.3 % (Ti–6Al–4V/ATZ with an open porous surface), 43.7 % (Ti–35Nb–6Ta/ATZ), and 82.5% (Ti–35Nb–6Ta/ATZ with an open porous surface) compared to monolithic ATZ. Thus, the hybrid material-based femoral component decreases the intraoperative fracture risk of the ATZ part and considerably reduces the risk of stress shielding of the periprosthetic bone.

Waste Meretrix meretrix Shell as Adsorbent of Copper (Cu2+)

Meretrix meretrix was found to be a very abundant waste at Amal Beach, Tarakan City. M. &nbsp;meretrix waste can reduce heavy metals, especially heavy metals copper (Cu2+), by the adsorption process. Research has been carried out on M. meretrix as an adsorbent of heavy metals copper (Cu2+) using the adsorption method of Shacker through chemical activation using NaOH bases. The SEM results showed that M. meretrix before activation had a rough pore surface that was still closed but M. meretrix after activation had a open pore surface that is why it could be used as an adsorbent. M. meretrix contains Al (Aluminum), which can be used as an adsorbent. The adsorption results showed that M. meretrix with activation in the Freundlich isotherm had the highest ability to absorb Cu2+ as much as 9,108 mg/g compared to without activation only 0.051 mg/g. It can be concluded that M. meretrix waste can be used as an absorbent of Cu2+ heavy metals.

Trapping Rhodamine B dye using functionalized mango (Mangifera indica) pod

The use of acid-modified mango pod (AMMP) sorbent for removing Rhodamine B (Rh-B) dye from aqueous media was investigated. Raw mango pod (RMP) and AMMP sorbents were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), powdered X-ray diffractogram (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), point of zero charge pH (pHpzc ), and Boehm titration (BT) techniques. Batch adsorption was employed to examine the influence of operational factors. Sorption kinetic parameters were calculated using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich, and intraparticle diffusion models. The pseudo-second-order model best fitted the adsorption kinetic data most with maximum correlation coefficient (R2 > 0.99). The process of the adsorption was controlled by both boundary layer and intraparticle diffusion mechanisms. Four isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin) were utilized to analyze the equilibrium data at various temperatures. Freundlich model gave the best fit with the maximum regression (0.99), while the Langmuir isotherm model established a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 500 mg g-1 . Thermodynamic parameters studied revealed that the interaction is spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The cost analysis of the current study provides convincing proof that AMMP is efficient for removing Rh-B dye from solution by providing a saving of 225.2 USD/kg, which is eight times cheaper than commercial activated carbon. Consequently, the study revealed that AMMP is a viable, effective, and sustainable sorbent for Rhodamine B dye removal. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The powdered X-ray diffractogram (PXRD) showed the formation of new and intense peaks with the presence of highly organized crystalline structures on acid-modified mango pod (AMMP). Surface morphology of AMMP showed well-developed open surface pores required for effective adsorption of Rh B dye molecules. Economic feasibility of the present study showed that AMMP is more affordable than commercial activated carbon that costs USD 259.5/kg, thus translated to a saving cost of USD 225.2/kg and more than 7.5 times cheaper than the commercial activated carbon (CAC).

Material ratio curve of 3D surface topography of additively manufactured parts: an attempt to characterise open surface pores

Surface topography of additively manufactured components often contains 3D features, e.g. particles, open surface pores. X-ray computed topography can capture these features, allowing measurement data to be used for 3D surface texture characterisation. On the basis of the newly developed 3D surface texture parameters, this paper investigates material ratio curves of the surfaces produced by additive manufacturing processes, i.e. selective laser melting and high speed sintering. The material ratio curves of these surfaces vary in their shapes, depending on the specific process and associated process parameters, as well as surface orientations. Re-entrant topography features can result in recess shapes on the material ratio curve at the surface heights where these features locate. This unique characteristic makes the material ratio curve an effective analysis tool to differentiate various AM surface topographies, allowing surface texture to be linked with process control and functional assessment. Furthermore, (valley void volume) is identified as a useful volume parameter to characterise the open surface pores of AM surfaces. The material ratio for the determination of is discussed with the consideration of three options to address the open surface pores. The secant scanning approach proposed by ISO 13565-2 and the manual set ratio at the first sharp drop of the material ratio curve were found to be able to achieve reasonable results for the AM open surface pore characterisation.

Determination of Parameters of Porous Structure Affecting the Release Mechanisms of Long-Lived Radionuclides from Irradiated Graphite in Contact with Liquid Media

Specific features of the porous structure of irradiated and virgin reactor graphite of Russian brands have been analyzed. The porosity parameters affecting the leaching of radionuclides from graphite radioactive waste (RAW) were determined: fraction of open porosity, distribution of pore throat cross-sections, surface of open pores. The volume of open pores accessible for leaching aqueous media in the irradiated graphite was estimated. A model describing the leaching of radionuclides from irradiated graphite accounting for the porosity contribution is proposed. The parameters that numerically characterize the resistance of graphite RAW against leaching and are independent of the geometric shapes of separate fragments (samples) were determined.

HMDSO-Based Thin Plasma Polymers as Corrosion Barrier Against NaOH Solution

HMDSO-based films with excellent corrosion barrier properties against strong alkaline solutions were deposited on chemically non-resistant SiOx barrier coatings, which were previously applied on polished gold-coated Si-Wafers and PET films for coating analysis. The plasma process parameters are seen to have a strong influence on the achievable corrosion barrier properties of the plasma polymers. Coatings, which were applied in a pulsed microwave plasma with low mean power input, exhibit a substantially higher resistance against NaOH aqueous solution in electrochemical tests than those applied in higher energy plasmas. An analysis of the coatings revealed that the great difference in chemical resistivity of the investigated coatings can be explained by their chemical composition as well as their nano-porosity and surface topography. XPS measurements indicate that a higher organic content in the films contributes to their chemical resistivity. FTIR measurements showed that an ordered Si-O-Si network with methyl groups, which promote steric shielding, lead to superior corrosion resistance. Furthermore, a correlation of protective performance and nano-porosity was found in cyclic voltammetry measurements. Coatings with good corrosion protection proved to be initially pore free and even after 30 min of exposure to NaOH, an open pore surface of only 2% can be measured. Finally, measurements of the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of coated PET substrates showed that the barrier of a coating system comprising a non-resistant barrier layer and a protective top coat can withstand up to at least 90 min of exposure to hot NaOH solution without significant loss in barrier performance. After this, the barrier of the system is gradually reduced. To slow down this reduction process, a multilayer approach proved to be effective.

Engineering the Structure of Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Microspheres by the Surface Effect of Inverse Opal Templates and Temperature.

The interactions of ions and molecules with material surface are highly dependent on the surface properties of the material. Therefore, the distribution of ions or molecules near the material surface may be affected by the surface properties. This phenomenon can be significant enough for controlling the structure of a material synthesized in the sub-micrometer scale confinement space of a template. This work confirms that inverse opals are perfect templates for offering confinement space, while their different surface properties can strongly affect ion and block copolymer distribution in the confinement space. This surface effect principle can be used for the controlled synthesis of colloids with complex composition. As an example, four kinds of mesoporous magnetic bioactive glass colloids with ordered mesopores, core-shell structure, open surface pores, or disordered mesopores are prepared by using polystyrene and carbon inverse opal templates. This work reveals that inverse opal templates possess great advantage in controlled synthesizing colloidal structures due to their surface effect on ions and molecules and confinement space.

Selective surface treatment by means of IR-laser – A new approach to enhance the rate capability of cathodes for Li-ion batteries

To meet today’s demands on lithium-ion batteries for battery electrical vehicles in terms of energy density, electrodes with a high active mass loading as well as a low porosity are strived for. However, such high energy electrodes exhibit a poor rate capability, mainly due to limited lithium-ion diffusion. In this work, we present a laser-based surface treatment of calendered cathodes to partially overcome this conflict of objectives. NCM-based electrodes with different porosities were superficially modified by using IR-laser radiation with pulse duration in the nanosecond-regime. By detailed microscopic analysis, we show that it is possible to selectively ablate the binder/additive-compound without impairing the active material particles. Thus, it is possible to open surface pores which were closed during calendering by the binder/additive-compound. As a result, laser treated highly densified cathodes show a significantly improved rate capability at C-rates > 2C compared to untreated reference samples. The most significant improvement of >20% of the rate capability is found at 5C for electrodes with lowest porosity of 20%. The experimental findings suggest that an enhanced electrolyte access to the active mass and thus, a reduced lithium-ion transport resistance lead to the improved electrochemical characteristics. In addition to the short-term rate capability tests, preliminary investigations of the cyclic stability of electrodes modified in such a way were performed. The state-of-health after one hundred 1C charge/discharge-cycles was about 95% for both, the laser treated and the pristine electrodes.

Recyclable carboxylated cellulose beads with tunable pore structure and size for highly efficient dye removal

In this work, carboxylated cellulose beads with highly porous structure were fabricated using phase separation method, and subsequent carboxylation using citrate. The pore structure and average size of the carboxylated cellulose beads could be altered by adjusting reaction temperature and time during carboxylation, in which the average sizes were in the range of 2.08–2.34 mm. Moreover, the resulting porous cellulose beads with open-pore surface exhibited high specific surface area (~ 156.86 m2/g) and high carboxyl group content (~ 4.93 mmol/g). Considering their high specific surface area, surface carboxylation, and eco-friendly, the carboxylated cellulose beads were utilized for removal of cationic dye, methylene blue (MB). The porous, carboxylated cellulose beads exhibited remarkable adsorption performance with a maximum adsorption capacity of 288.81 mg/g, about 8 times higher than unmodified cellulose beads. Also, this porous bead showed a promising application as high-efficient absorbent and its adsorption capacity for MB still retained 250.78 mg/g after ten adsorption–desorption cycles.

Hierarchically structured vanadium pentoxide/reduced graphene oxide composite microballs for lithium ion battery cathodes

Vanadium pentoxide is considered as a candidate of cathode material for lithium-ion batteries owing to its high specific capacity, large potential window, and short diffusion pathway. However, vanadium pentoxide has its own limitations such as insufficient electronic conductivity, sluggish ion diffusion, and volume expansion. In order to resolve these problems, we demonstrate spray frozen assembly into hierarchically structured open-porous vanadium pentoxide/reduced graphene oxide composite microballs for high performance lithium-ion battery cathodes. The uniform distribution of vanadium pentoxide particles immobilized onto the open-porous surface of reduced graphene oxide microballs is associated with the short ion diffusion pathway, the percolated electronic conduction, and the buffering space. Accordingly, vanadium pentoxide/reduced graphene oxide composite microballs achieve the initial discharge capacity of 273 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 which is higher than those of reduced graphene oxide (78 mAh g−1) and vanadium pentoxide (214 mAh g−1). When the current density increases from 100 to 1000 mA g−1, the capacity retention of vanadium pentoxide/reduced graphene oxide composite microballs is 51.3%, much greater than 36.4% of vanadium pentoxide particles. The capacity retention of 80.4% with the Coulombic efficiency of 97.1% over 200 cycles is twice greater than that of V2O5 particles, indicating improved cyclic stability.

Critical Surface Parameters for the Oxidative Coupling of Methane over the Mn-Na-W/SiO2 Catalyst.

The work here presents a thorough evaluation of the effect of Mn-Na-W/SiO2 catalyst surface parameters on its performance in the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). To do so, we used microporous dealuminated β-zeolite (Zeo), or mesoporous SBA-15 (SBA), or macroporous fumed silica (Fum) as precursors for catalyst preparation, together with Mn nitrate, Mn acetate and Na2WO4. Characterizing the catalysts by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, N2 physisorption, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and catalytic testing enabled us to identify critical surface parameters that govern the activity and C2 selectivity of the Mn-Na-W/SiO2 catalyst. Although the current paradigm views the phase transition of silica to α-cristobalite as the critical step in obtaining dispersed and stable metal sites, we show that the choice of precursors is equally or even more important with respect to tailoring the right surface properties. Specifically, the SBA-based catalyst, characterized by relatively closed surface porosity, demonstrated low activity and low C2 selectivity. By contrast, for the same composition, the Zeo-based catalyst showed an open surface pore structure, which translated up to fourfold higher activity and enhanced selectivity. By varying the overall composition of the Zeo catalysts, we show that reducing the overall W concentration reduces the size of the Na2WO4 species and increases the catalytic activity linearly as much as fivefold higher than the SBA catalyst. This linear dependence correlates well to the number of interfaces between the Na2WO4 and Mn2O3 species. Our results combined with prior studieslead us to single out the interface between Na2WO4 and Mn2O3 as the most probable active site for OCM using this catalyst. Synergistic interactions between the various precursors used and the phase transition are discussed in detail, and the conclusions are correlated to surface properties and catalysis.

Destabilisation of nanoporous membranes through GB grooving and grain growth

We have used a phase field model to study destabilization of cylindrical pores in a polycrystalline membrane; a key feature in the model is that it incorporates surface diffusion as the mechanism for mass transport. Using a model system in which a cylindrical pore runs through a material in which all the grain boundaries (GBs) are perpendicular to the pore axis, we identify two elementary mechanisms for pore failure. The first one is based just on grain boundary (GB) grooving, which causes a circular trench at the groove, and a constriction of the pore on either side of the GB; as the groove deepens, the constriction narrows, and eventually closes the pore. Pore closure through this mechanism is possible only when the grain size exceeds a critical size (below which the open pore surface acquires an inverse-bamboo morphology), and therefore, it is controlled by grain growth kinetics. In the second mechanism, the groove profiles of unequal sized grains is such that the curvature differences trigger a coarsening-like process in which atoms from the surface of smaller grains are transported to that of larger grains, causing an ever-narrowing constriction there. A simplified model that incorporates these two mechanisms acting in parallel is used to rationalize our observations of pore failure in polycrystalline systems.

Estimating granite roughness using systematic random sampling for the evaluation of radon gas emanation from ornamental granite rocks

Author Summary: There are three natural radioactive families according to their decay, which are: the uranium series (238U decreasing to stable 206Pb), the actinium series (235U decreasing to stable 207Pb) and the thorium series (236U → 232Th decreasing to stable 208Pb). The three series all have radon gas as an intermediary element, but each with a different atomic mass (222Rn, 219Rn and 220Rn). The three isotopes are inert gases at ambient conditions and all are alpha particles emitters. Soils naturally emanate these radioactive gases in variable concentrations depending on composition and location. The radon radioactive emanation is a mass flow composed of radionuclides emitted to the atmosphere from the surface of the material, or transported to it. Emanation depends on the amount of radon atoms formed from the decay of radium and on the surface roughness of the material. Treatment such as polishing can be used to decrease radon gas emanation by closing open surface pores and reducing the specific surface area. This study aims at evaluating granite roughness of experimental plates of ornamental rocks using a systematic random sampling approach in order to minimise analysis time. To validate the systematic minimum area sampling results these were compared to measurements made over the whole reference area. It is concluded that measurements can be conducted in just a few locations using systematic random sampling, significantly reducing the time for obtaining estimates of the granite’s roughness by factors 150–200.

Adhesion strength measurement of nickel layer on the iron-based P/M parts influenced by different surface pre-treatment operations

The adhesion of the coated layer to the substrate in powder metallurgy (P/M) parts is of major concern due to the presence of surface porosities. In the present study, electroplated nickel layer was applied on the pre-treated surfaces. Pre-treatments were performed through three different operations including copper infiltration, resin impregnation and steam treatment in order to close the open surface pores of the iron-based substrates and subsequently to improve the adhesion of coating to the surface. Beside the microstructural analyses, heating–quenching procedures and tensile tests were carried out to measure the adhesion strength of nickel layer to the substrate. Based on the achievements, all pre-treated specimens exhibited better adhesion strength compared to the non-treated ones. Furthermore, the maximum layer adhesion was obtained from the copper infiltration process.

Commentary on: Benefits and Limitations of Macrotextured Breast Implants and Consensus Recommendations for Optimizing Their Effectiveness.

Every time I’m in London, I visit my favorite restaurant in Knightsbridge for the chef’s famous pistachio souffle. It never ceases to amaze me how, night after night, year after year, his superb technique produces a perfect and reproducible outcome. Is it the expensive ingredients that the chef selects, or is it his oven that creates this work of art? More likely it is his critical attention to detail, combined with years of experience. The process of breast augmentation has been well described1 and involves a multitude of decisions between the physician and patient. Biodimensional planning allows a shift away from the older “volume” thinking in implant selection toward shaping the breast in a more controlled fashion with implants that provide relative form stability. The authors acknowledge that implant selection, surgical technique, and postoperative management vary depending on the implant selected and share their international experience with the Allergan Natrelle (Allergan, Irvine, California) range of implants with macrotextured shell surfaces.2 They define 3 different-textured surfaces by pore size, classifying Allergan’s Biocell open-pore surface, with the largest diameter, as macrotextured. They describe Mentor’s Siltex (Mentor Worldwide LLC, Santa Barbara, California) surface as microtextured and Sientra’s “True” (Sientra, Santa Barbara, California) texture as intermediate, since the pore size of their textured surface was not defined. In the United States, surgeon experience with textured surface implants differs from …

Calcium phosphate based materials starting from calcium carbonate and orthophosphoric acid for the removal of lead(II) from an aqueous solution

Calcium phosphates starting from calcium carbonate and orthophosphoric acid as unconventional and low cost initial reactants were investigated in the removal from aqueous solution of lead(II) as model heavy metal. Sorbent in gel form, which was directly obtained from the reaction of calcium carbonate powder and orthophosphoric acid, and sorbent in powder form, which was obtained by filtration and drying of the gel at room temperature showed the highest reactivity for the removal of lead(II). The sorption capacity could reach up to 1226mg of lead(II) per gram of powder sorbent. On the other hand, the conventional drying overnight at 105°C decreased the reactivity of the sorbent in powder form. The intermediates of the reaction between calcium carbonate and orthophosphoric acid, including brushite (CaHPO4·2H2O), monetite (CaHPO4) and MCPM (Ca(H2PO4)2·H2O) were found to be more active than hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) which was the final stable product of the reaction between calcium carbonate and orthophosphoric acid. Lead hydroxyapatite (Pb10(PO4)6(OH)2) was the main crystalline phase formed from the contact of calcium phosphate based sorbents with lead(II) nitrate solution. It was only formed at the external surface or surface of open-pores of calcium phosphate particles, highlighted by SEM characterization. The results obtained open new prospects for the design of efficient orthophosphate-based sorbents for the removal of lead(II) and other heavy metals from liquid effluents.

Engineering superhydrophobic surface on poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofiber membranes for direct contact membrane distillation

Recently membrane distillation (MD) has received intensive interests for a range of applications such as desalinations of seawater and brine. One of the major obstacles for MD application is the lack of an optimized MD membrane that can produce a high and stable flux in long-term operation. Two types of superhydrophobic PVDF nanofiber membranes, integrally-modified and surface-modified PVDF membranes, have been successfully fabricated by electro-spinning followed by surface modification, which includes dopamine surface activation, silver nanoparticle deposition and hydrophobic treatment. The modification is convenient because of mild reactions and wide applicability. These novel composite nanofiber membranes have been characterized by a series of measurements and benchmarked against commercial PVDF flat sheet membrane for MD application.The characterizations reveal that the modifications have altered the membrane surface morphology and topology and made the membrane superhydrophobic due to their hierarchical structures. Compared with unmodified membrane, the integrally-modified membrane (I-PVDF) can achieve a high and stable MD water flux of 31.6Lm−2h−1 using a 3.5wt% NaCl as the feed solution while the feed and permeate temperatures were fixed at 333K and 293K, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this result is superior to all other PVDF flat-sheet membranes tested under the same or similar conditions, which is believed to be attributed to the open-surface pore structure and thin thickness of the PVDF nanofiber membrane with the aid of electro-spinning. The superhydrophobic nature of the membrane surface brought by the integral modification on all nanofibers renders the membrane anti-wetting property while remaining high water flux.

Filler-nanocellulose substrate for printed electronics: experiments and model approach to structure and conductivity

Composites made of inorganic filler particles and cellulose nanofibres can be applied as substrates for printed electronics. We have studied the structural properties of these substrates both experimentally and with particle-level modeling approach. Our model describes the skeleton structure formed by pigment particles of varied shapes and size distributions. Nanocellulose is assumed to fill voids of the structure. The model simulations predict quite well the relative changes in measured density, porosity and roughness for kaolin and precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) pigments. Measured roughness turns out to be higher for kaolin than for PCC. Yet, the measured conductivity of printed lines on kaolin surface is higher than the conductivity on the PCC surface. The simulations reveal a more open surface pore structure for PCC than for kaolin, which leads to stronger absorption of the silver ink, and thus explains the differences in the measured conductivities.

Wave fields and spectra of Rayleigh waves in poroelastic media in the exploration seismic frequency band

A better understanding of the influences of different surface fluid drainage conditions on the propagation and attenuation of surface waves as the stipulated frequency is varied is a key issue to apply surface wave method to detect subsurface hydrological properties. Our study develops three-dimensional dynamical Green’s functions in poroelastic media for Rayleigh waves of possible free surface conditions: permeable – “open pore,” impermeable – “closed pore,” and partially permeable boundaries. The full transient response of wave fields and spectra due to a stress impulse wavelet on the surface are investigated in the exploration seismic frequency band for typical surface drainage conditions, viscous coupling–damping, solid frame properties and porous fluid flowing configuration. Our numerical results show that, due to the slow dilatational wave – P2 wave, two types of Rayleigh waves, designated as R1 and R2 waves, exist along the surface. R1 wave possesses high energy as classic Rayleigh waves in pure elastic media for each porous materials. A surface fluid drainage condition is a significant factor to influence dispersion and attenuation, especially attenuation of R1 waves. R2 wave for closed pore and partially permeable surfaces is only observed for a low coupling–damping coefficient. The non-physical wave for partially surface conditions causes the R1 wave radiates into the R2 wave in the negative attenuation frequency range. It makes weaker R1 wave and stronger R2 wave to closed pore surface. Moreover, it is observed that wave fields and spectra of R1 wave are sensitive to frame elastic moduli change for an open pore surface, and to pore fluid flow condition change for closed pore and partially permeable surface.

Ice-template-induced silk fibroin–chitosan scaffolds with predefined microfluidic channels and fully porous structures

Scaffold-based tissue engineering has made great progress in fabricating relatively simple tissues. One of the major challenges in creating thick complex organs is to achieve sufficient nutrient supply as well as uniform cell distribution in a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold. Here we employed microstructured ice templates to fabricate silk fibroin–chitosan (SF–CS) scaffolds with predefined microfluidic channels, open-pore surface and oriented porous structures. The effects of these structural organizations in ice-template-induced (ITI) scaffolds on nutrient delivery, cell seeding as well as cell growth were well investigated in comparison with that of polydimethylsiloxane-template-induced scaffolds. The ITI scaffolds exhibited better structural properties in promoting mass transport, facilitating uniform cell distribution and growth. The ITI scaffolds uniformly seeded with living cells could be further rolled up to form a thick tissue-engineered construct with predefined microfluidic channels. We envision that our ITI scaffolds can be potentially used to engineer thick prevascularized organs when the oriented porous structures are uniformly seeded with primary cells and the predefined microfluidic channels are incorporated with endothelial cells.