Calcium Phosphate Honeycomb Scaffolds with Tailored Microporous Walls Using Phase Separation-Assisted Digital Light...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing
• Materials Science

Background:

• Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) scaffolds are vital in bone tissue engineering.
• Achieving controlled dual-scale porosity in BCP scaffolds remains a challenge.
• Current fabrication methods often lack precise control over microporosity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for manufacturing BCP honeycomb scaffolds with tailored microporous walls.
• To investigate the effect of camphene content on scaffold microporosity and properties.
• To enhance the mass transport capabilities of BCP scaffolds for improved biological performance.

Main Methods:

• Utilized phase separation-assisted digital light processing (PS-DLP) for scaffold fabrication.
• Employed camphene as a pore-forming agent in BCP suspensions.
• Controlled microporosity by adjusting camphene content (40-60 vol%) during photopolymerization and sublimation.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated BCP scaffolds with dual-scale porosity.
• Increased camphene content from 40% to 60% raised microporosity from ~38% to ~59%.
• Overall scaffold porosity increased from ~51% to ~67%, with a decrease in compressive strength from ~70.4 MPa to ~13.7 MPa.
• Demonstrated a remarkable increase in mass transport ability with higher microporosity.

Conclusions:

• Phase separation-assisted DLP offers precise control over microporosity in BCP scaffolds.
• The developed scaffolds exhibit enhanced mass transport, beneficial for nutrient delivery and waste removal in tissue engineering.
• This fabrication technique holds promise for creating advanced biomaterials for regenerative medicine.