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Sol–gel method to fabricate CaP scaffolds by robocasting for tissue engineering

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Abstract

Highly porous calcium phosphate (CaP) scaffolds for bone-tissue engineering were fabricated by combining a robocasting process with a sol–gel synthesis that mixed Calcium Nitrate Tetrahydrate and Triethyl Phosphite precursors in an aqueous medium. The resulting gels were used to print scaffolds by robocasting without the use of binder to increase the viscosity of the paste. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the process yielded hydroxyapatite and β-tricalcium phosphate biphasic composite powders. Thus, the scaffold composition after crystallization of the amorphous structure could be easily modified by varying the initial Ca/P ratio during synthesis. The compressive strengths of the scaffolds are ~6 MPa, which is in the range of human cancellous bone (2–12 MPa). These highly porous scaffolds (~73 vol% porosity) are composed of macro-pores of ~260 μm in size; such porosity is expected to enable bone ingrowth into the scaffold for bone repair applications. The chemistry, porosity, and surface topography of such scaffolds can also be modified by the process parameters to favor bone formation. The studied sol–gel process can be used to coat these scaffolds by dip-coating, which induces a significant enhancement of mechanical properties. This can adjust scaffold properties such as composition and surface morphology, which consequently may improve their performances.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Grant No. 1 R01 DE015633.

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  1. Manuel Houmard

    Present address: Department of Materials Engineering and Civil Construction, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Manuel Houmard, Qiang Fu & Antoni P. Tomsia

  2. Centre for Advanced Structural Materials, Department of Materials, Imperial College, London, UK

    Eduardo Saiz

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  1. Manuel Houmard
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  2. Qiang Fu
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Correspondence to Manuel Houmard.

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Houmard, M., Fu, Q., Saiz, E. et al. Sol–gel method to fabricate CaP scaffolds by robocasting for tissue engineering. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 23, 921–930 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-012-4561-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-012-4561-2

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