Effect of hydroxyapatite on biodegradable scaffolds fabricated by SLS

Selective laser sintering (SLS) has the potential to fabricate bioresorbable polymer / ceramic composite scaffolds with pre-designed external and internal architecture that can be used for bone tissue engineering applications. Scaffolds were fabricated using poly-c-caprolactone as the base material. The effect of 15 and 30 wt% of hydroxyapatite (HA) addition was investigated in terms of compressive properties, accuracy, surface topology, and wettability. Fabricated dimensions of PCL microstructures showed great deviations from their nominal values. Average surface roughness was found to be Ra=25±4 gm. Increased HA content had no statistically significant effect on accuracy and surface roughness. However the addition of HA had a significant influence on compressive properties, hydrophobicity and wettability of the samples. Addition of 30 wt% HA improved initial compressive modulus of pure PCL scaffolds from 1.31±0.08 MPa to 1.58±0.18 MPa. Yield strength values increased from 0.14±0.07 MPa to 0.17±0.01 MPa by adding 15 wt% of HA, but decreased with further HA addition. Yield strain for all compositions was over c=0.06. Increased HA content decreased hydrophobicity and increased wettability of scaffold surfaces. The study demonstrated the ability of SLS to fabricate tissue engineering scaffolds, and the positive effect of HA particle reinforcement in terms of compressive mechanical properties and surface characteristics

Selective laser sintering of hydroxyapatite/poly-caprolactone scaffolds

Selective laser sintering (SLS) enables the fabrication of complex geometries with the intricate and controllable internal architecture required in the field of tissue engineering. In this study hydroxyapatite and poly- -caprolactone, considered suitable for hard tissue engineering purposes, were used in a weight ratio of 30:70. The quality of the fabricated parts is influenced by various process parameters. Among them Four parameters, namely laser fill power, outline laser power, scan spacing and part orientation, were identified as important. These parameters were investigated according to a central composite design and a model of the effects of these parameters on the accuracy and mechanical properties of the fabricated parts was developed. The dimensions of the fabricated parts were strongly dependent on the manufacturing direction and scan spacing. Repeatability analysis shows that the fabricated features can be well reproduced. However, there were deviations from the nominal dimensions, with the features being larger than those designed. The compressive modulus and yield strength of the fabricated microstructures with a designed relative density of 0.33 varied between 0.6 and 2.3 and 0.1 and 0.6 MPa, respectively. The mechanical behavior was strongly dependent on the manufacturing direction

Effect of hydroxyapatite on biodegradable scaffolds fabricated by sls

Selective laser sintering (SLS) has the potential to fabricate bioresorbable polymer / ceramic composite scaffolds with pre-designed external and internal architecture that can be used for bone tissue engineering applications. Scaffolds were fabricated using poly-F-caprolactone as the base material. The effect of 15 and 30 wt% of hydroxyapatite (HA) addition was investigated in terms of compressive properties, accuracy, surface topology, and wettability. Fabricated dimensions of PCL microstructures showed great deviations from their nominal values. Average surface roughness was found to be Ra = 25 +/- 4 mu m. Increased RA content had no statistically significant effect on accuracy and surface roughness. However the addition of HA had a significant influence on compressive properties, hydrophobicity and wettability of the samples. Addition of 30 wt% HA improved initial compressive modulus of pure PCL scaffolds from 1.31 +/- 0.08 MPa to 1.58 +/- 0.18 MPa. Yield strength values increased from 0.14 +/- 0.07 MPa to 0.17 +/- 0.01 MPa by adding 15 wt% of HA, but decreased with further HA addition. Yield strain for all compositions was over epsilon = 0.06. Increased HA content decreased hydrophobicity and increased wettability of scaffold surfaces. The study demonstrated the ability of SLS to fabricate tissue engineering scaffolds, and the positive effect of HA particle reinforcement in terms of compressive mechanical properties and surface characteristics

Interaction of cell culture with composition effects on the mechanical properties of polycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite scaffolds fabricated via selective laser sintering (SLS)

In the current study PCL/HA composites were fabricated using SLS as two- and three-dimensional lattice structures and exposed to a cellular component (MC 313 osteoblast-like cells). The main aims were to determine the mechanical differences due to powder composition and to observe the physical and mechanical changes pertaining to cell presence. These structures were characterized by compressive mechanical testing, and the effects of cell culturing and degradation on mechanical properties of the scaffolds with different PCL/HA compositions were determined. Moreover, changes in the scaffold morphology due to the cell culture conditions were determined by mu-CF analysis.Cells steadily grew on the scaffolds for 21 days with preferential distribution around the macropores and initially PCL/HA(15%) composites had higher cell numbers. Removal of loosely sintered parts was observable during the culturing period. Cell culture conditions did not change the compressive moduli significantly but had a distinct effect on compressive strength. For PCL/HA(15%) composites, an initial loss in strength caused by cell culture was reversed by longer cell exposure, with compressive strength of the structures restored to the initial properties (p <= 0.05). mu-CT measurements showed widespread morphological changes in the scaffolds, such as a decrease in the roughness of the struts. In general, in the initial period composites with lower HA content (15 wt.%) showed better metabolic activity compared to the higher HA content, however by day 14 the performance of the two compositions was equal. These results suggest that changes in sintering due to the differences in powder composition can have profound effects on the short and long term mechanical properties of the scaffold particularly:under cell culture conditions, and this should be closely considered for SLS processing of scaffolds. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved