Processing and characterization of calcium silicate whiskers reinforced beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds

Abstract

Scaffolds are defined as supports that serve as substrates for cellular growth, proliferation, and differentiation, thus they must be biocompatible, have optimum degradation rates, show porosity and interconnectivity, and have favorable mechanical and biological properties for tissue growth. One of the processing techniques for producing this class of material is a gel-casting method associated with the aeration of ceramic suspension. This method consists of gelation the suspension by in situ polymerizations of monomers soluble in water, which create a rigid cell body, with high green strength, porosity up to 95%, and cells that tend to sphericity and pore size between 50-600 µm. The porosity, the pore size, and its interconnectivity have great importance to the scaffold performance because they play a fundamental role in the new tissue formation. To avoid a loss of mechanical properties with increasing porosity, it is necessary an adjustment between both properties. In the fabrication of scaffolds for bone tissue therapy, calcium phosphates, more specifically beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP), have received researchers' attention because their reabsorption, morphology, and chemical composition are similar to the bone mineral phase. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of whiskers calcium silicate (wollastonite) addition on the physical and mechanical properties of beta-TCP scaffolds produced by the gel casting method. The morphological, physical, and mechanical properties of scaffolds will be determined and their mass loss in a saline solution will also be assessed.(AU)