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μCT based assessment of mechanical deformation of designed PTMC scaffolds
Nathaniel Narra1, Sébastien B G Blanquer2, Suvi P Haimi2
1Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, BioMediTech Tampere, Finland.
Background:
Advances in rapid-prototyping and 3D printing technologies have enhanced the possibilities in preparing designed architectures for tissue engineering applications. A major advantage in custom designing is the ability to create structures with desired mechanical properties. While the behaviour of a designed scaffold can be simulated using bulk material properties, it is important to verify the behaviour of a printed scaffold at the microstructure level.
Objective:
In this study we present an effective method in validating the mechanical behaviour of designed scaffolds using a μCT with an in-situ mechanical deformation device.
Methods:
The scaffolds were prepared from biodegradable poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) by stereolithography and images obtained using a high-resolution μCT with 12.25μm isometric voxels. The data was processed (filtering, segmentation) and analysed (surface generation, registration) to extract relevant deformation features.
Results:
The computed local deformation fields, calculated at sub-pore resolutions, displayed expected linear behaviour within the scaffold along the compressions axis. On planes perpendicular to this axis, the deformations varied by 150- 200μm.
Conclusions:
μCT based imaging with in-situ deformation provides a vital tool in validating the design parameters of printed scaffolds. Deformation fields obtained from micro-tomographic image volumes can serve to corroborate the simulated ideal design with the realized product.
