Mechanical properties of porous β-tricalcium phosphate composites prepared by ice-templating and poly(ε-caprolactone) impregnation

Calcium Orthophosphate (CaPO4) Containing Composites for Biomedical Applications: Formulations, Properties, and Applications

The goal of this review is to present a wide range of hybrid formulations and composites containing calcium orthophosphates (abbreviated as CaPO4) that are suitable for use in biomedical applications and currently on the market. The bioactive, biocompatible, and osteoconductive properties of various CaPO4-based formulations make them valuable in the rapidly developing field of biomedical research, both in vitro and in vivo. Due to the brittleness of CaPO4, it is essential to combine the desired osteologic properties of ceramic CaPO4 with those of other compounds to create novel, multifunctional bone graft biomaterials. Consequently, this analysis offers a thorough overview of the hybrid formulations and CaPO4-based composites that are currently known. To do this, a comprehensive search of the literature on the subject was carried out in all significant databases to extract pertinent papers. There have been many formulations found with different material compositions, production methods, structural and bioactive features, and in vitro and in vivo properties. When these formulations contain additional biofunctional ingredients, such as drugs, proteins, enzymes, or antibacterial agents, they offer improved biomedical applications. Moreover, a lot of these formulations allow cell loading and promote the development of smart formulations based on CaPO4. This evaluation also discusses basic problems and scientific difficulties that call for more investigation and advancements. It also indicates perspectives for the future.

Aligned Ice Templated Biomaterial Strategies for the Musculoskeletal System

Aligned pore structures present many advantages when conceiving biomaterial strategies for treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Aligned ice templating (AIT) is one of the many different techniques capable of producing anisotropic porous scaffolds; its high versatility allows for the formation of structures with tunable pore sizes, as well as the use of many different materials. AIT has been found to yield improved compressive properties for bone tissue engineering (BTE), as well as higher tensile strength and optimized cellular alignment and proliferation in tendon and muscle repair applications. This review evaluates the work that has been done in the last decade toward the production of aligned pore structures by AIT with an outlook on the musculoskeletal system. This work describes the fundamentals of the AIT technique and focuses on the research carried out to optimize the biomechanical properties of scaffolds by modifying the pore structure, categorizing by material type and application. Related topics including growth factor incorporation into AIT scaffolds, drug delivery applications, and studies about immune system response will be discussed.

Osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in a bisphosphonate-functionalized polycaprolactone/gelatin scaffold

Recent trends in bone tissue engineering have focused on the development of biomimetic constructs with appropriate mechanical and physiochemical properties. Here, we report the fabrication of an innovative biomaterial scaffold based on a new bisphosphonate-containing synthetic polymer combined with gelatin. To this end, zoledronate (ZA)-functionalized polycaprolactone (PCL-ZA) was synthesized by a chemical grafting reaction. After adding gelatin to the PCL-ZA polymer solution, the porous PCL-ZA/gelatin scaffold was fabricated by the freeze-casting method. A scaffold with aligned pores and a porosity of 82.04 % was obtained. During in vitro biodegradability test, 49 % of its initial weight lost after 5 weeks. The elastic modulus of the PCL-ZA/gelatin scaffold was 31.4 MPa, and its tensile strength was 4.2 MPa. Based on the results of MTT assay, the scaffold had good cytocompatibility with human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hADMSCs). Furthermore, cells grown in PCL-ZA/gelatin scaffold showed the highest mineralization and ALP activity compared to other test groups. Results of the RT-PCR test revealed that RUNX2, COL 1A1, and OCN genes were expressed in PCL-ZA/gelatin scaffold at the highest level, suggesting its good osteoinductive capacity. These results revealed that PCL-ZA/gelatin scaffold could be considered a proper biomimetic platform for bone tissue engineering.

Alkaline earth metals for osteogenic scaffolds: From mechanisms to applications

Regeneration of bone defects is a significant challenge today. As alternative approaches to the autologous bone, scaffold materials have remarkable features in treating bone defects; however, the various properties of current scaffold materials still fall short of expectations. Due to the osteogenic capability of alkaline earth metals, their application in scaffold materials has become an effective approach to improving their properties. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown that combining alkaline earth metals leads to better osteogenic properties than applying them alone. In this review, the physicochemical and physiological characteristics of alkaline earth metals are introduced, mainly focusing on their mechanisms and applications in osteogenesis, especially magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), and barium (Ba). Furthermore, this review highlights the possible cross-talk between pathways when alkaline earth metals are combined. Finally, some of the current drawbacks of scaffold materials are enumerated, such as the high corrosion rate of Mg scaffolds and defects in the mechanical properties of Ca scaffolds. Moreover, a brief perspective is also provided regarding future directions in this field. It is worth exploring that whether the levels of alkaline earth metals in newly regenerated bone differs from those in normal bone. The ideal ratio of each element in the bone tissue engineering scaffolds or the optimal concentration of each elemental ion in the created osteogenic environment still needs further exploration. The review not only summarizes the research developments in osteogenesis but also offers a direction for developing new scaffold materials.

Recent advances on bioactive baghdadite ceramic for bone tissue engineering applications: 20 years of research and innovation (a review)

Various artificial bone graft substitutes based on ceramics have been developed over the last 20 years. Among them, calcium-silicate-based ceramics, which are osteoconductive and can attach directly to biological organs, have received great attention for bone tissue engineering applications. However, the degradation rate of calcium-silicate and bone formation is often out of balance, resulting in stress shielding (osteopenia). A new strategy to improve the drawbacks of these ceramics is incorporating trace elements such as Zn, Mg, and Zr into their lattice structures, enhancing their physical and biological properties. Recently, baghdadite (Ca₃ZrSi₂O₉) ceramic, one of the most appealing calcium-silicate-based ceramics, has demonstrated high bioactivity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and cell interaction. Because of its physical, mechanical, and biological properties and ability to be shaped using various fabrication techniques, baghdadite has found high potential in various biomedical applications such as coatings, fillers, cement, scaffolds, and drug delivery systems. Undoubtedly, there is a high potential for this newly developed ceramic to contribute significantly to therapies to provide a tremendous clinical outcome. This review paper aims to summarize and discuss the most relevant studies performed on baghdadite-based ceramics and composites by focusing on their behavior in vivo and in vitro.

Tuning the biomimetic behavior of hybrid scaffolds for bone tissue engineering through surface modifications and drug immobilization

Bone defects arising from injury and/or disease are a common and debilitating clinical lesion. While the development of tissue microenvironments utilizing biomimetic constructs is an emerging approach for bone tissue engineering. In this context, bioactive glass nanoparticles (BGNPs) were embedded within polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds. The scaffolds exhibit an engineered unidirectional pore structure which are surface activated via oxygen plasma to allow immobilization of simvastatin (SIM) on the pore surface. Microscopic observation indicated the surface modification did not disturb the lamellar orientation of the pores improving the biomimetic formation of hydroxyapatite. Mathematically modelled release profiles reveal that the oxygen plasma pre-treatment can be utilized to modulate the release profile of SIM from the scaffolds. With the release mechanism controlled by the balance between the diffusion and erosion mechanisms. Computational modelling shows that Human Serum Albumin and Human α₂-macroglobulin can be utilized to increase SIM bioavailability for cells via a molecular docking mechanism. Cellular studies show positive MG-63 cell attachment and viability on optimized scaffolds with alkaline phosphatase activity enhanced along with enhanced expression of osteocalcoin biomarker.

Multidimensional Mechanics of Three-Dimensional Printed and Micro-Architectured Scaffolds

Mechanical properties of porous materials depend on their micro-architectural characteristics. Freeze casting is an effective method to fabricate micro-architectured porous scaffolds. Three key characteristics generated during freeze casting are wall thickness, number of domains at the cross-section, and transverse bridges connecting adjacent walls. To specifically study the effect of these structural characteristics on the mechanics and anisotropic compressive properties of scaffolds, we utilize additive manufacturing, i.e., 3D printing, to fabricate strictly designed cubic scaffolds with varying one characteristic at a time. We then compare strength, toughness, resilience, stiffness, and strain to failure in three orthogonal directions of the scaffolds, including longitudinal and transverse directions. To compare these multidimensional mechanics in a single diagram, we use a previously developed radar chart method to evaluate different scaffolds and unravel the effect of the structural characteristics. We find that the multidimensional mechanics can be effectively tuned by the micro-architectural characteristics. Notably, the buckling resistance of the scaffolds depends on all three structural characteristics. Our results show that an increased number of domains leads to enhanced toughness in all three directions. Increasing wall thickness leads to enhanced mechanical properties but comes at the price of losing small-sized pores, which is not favored for certain applications. In addition, adding transverse bridges increase not only the transverse strength of the scaffolds but also the longitudinal strength as they also enhance the buckling resistance. Our study provides important insights into the structure-property relationships of 3D-printed micro-architectured porous scaffolds.

Novel Extrusion-Microdrilling Approach to Fabricate Calcium Phosphate-Based Bioceramic Scaffolds Enabling Fast Bone Regeneration

This study proposes a novel approach, termed extrusion-microdrilling, to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) interconnected bioceramic scaffolds with channel-like macropores for bone regeneration. The extrusion-microdrilling method is characterized by ease of use, high efficiency, structural flexibility, and precision. The 3D interconnected β-tricalcium phosphate bioceramic (EM-TCP) scaffolds prepared by this method showed channel-like square macropores (∼650 μm) by extrusion and channel-like round macropores (∼570 μm) by microdrilling as well as copious micropores. By incorporating a strontium-containing phosphate-based glass (SrPG), the obtained calcium phosphate-based bioceramic (EM-TCP/SrPG) scaffolds had noticeably higher compressive strength, lower porosity, and smaller macropore size, tremendously enhanced in vitro proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mouse bone marrow stromal cells, and suppressed in vitro osteoclastic activities of RAW264.7 cells, as compared with the EM-TCP scaffolds. In vivo assessment results indicated that at postoperative week 6, new vessels and a large percentage of new bone tissues (24-25%) were formed throughout the interconnected macropores of EM-TCP and EM-TCP/SrPG, which were implanted in the femoral defects of rabbits; the bone formation of the EM-TCP group was comparable to that of the EM-TCP/SrPG group. At 12 weeks postimplantation, the bone formation percentage of EM-TCP was slightly reduced, while that of EM-TCP/SrPG with a slower degradation rate was pronouncedly increased. This work provides a new strategy to fabricate interconnected bioceramic scaffolds allowing for fast bone regeneration, and the EM-TCP/SrPG scaffolds are promising for efficiently repairing bone defects.

Application of high resolution DLP stereolithography for fabrication of tricalcium phosphate scaffolds for bone regeneration

Bone regeneration requires porous and mechanically stable scaffolds to support tissue integration and angiogenesis, which is essential for bone tissue regeneration. With the advent of additive manufacturing processes, production of complex porous architectures has become feasible. However, a balance has to be sorted between the porous architecture and mechanical stability, which facilitates bone regeneration for load bearing applications. The current study evaluates the use of high resolution digital light processing (DLP) -based additive manufacturing to produce complex but mechanical stable scaffolds based on β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) for bone regeneration. Four different geometries: a rectilinear Grid, a hexagonal Kagome, a Schwarz primitive, and a hollow Schwarz architecture are designed with 400 μm pores and 75 or 50 vol% porosity. However, after initial screening for design stability and mechanical properties, only the rectilinear Grid structure, and the hexagonal Kagome structure are found to be reproducible and showed higher mechanical properties. Micro computed tomography (μ-CT) analysis shows <2 vol% error in porosity and <6% relative deviation of average pore sizes for the Grid structures. At 50 vol% porosity, this architecture also has the highest compressive strength of 44.7 MPa (Weibull modulus is 5.28), while bulk specimens reach 235 ± 37 MPa. To evaluate suitability of 3D scaffolds produced by DLP methods for bone regeneration, scaffolds were cultured with murine preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. Short term study showed cell growth over 14 d, with more than two-fold increase of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity compared to cells on 2D tissue culture plastic. Collagen deposition was increased by a factor of 1.5-2 when compared to the 2D controls. This confirms retention of biocompatible and osteo-inductive properties of β-TCP following the DLP process. This study has implications for designing of the high resolution porous scaffolds for bone regenerative applications and contributes to understanding of DLP based additive manufacturing process for medical applications.

External Field Assisted Freeze Casting

Freeze casting under external fields (magnetic, electric, or acoustic) produces porous materials having local, regional, and global microstructural order in specific directions. In freeze casting, porosity is typically formed by the directional solidification of a liquid colloidal suspension. Adding external fields to the process allows for structured nucleation of ice and manipulation of particles during solidification. External control over the distribution of particles is governed by a competition of forces between constitutional supercooling and electromagnetism or acoustic radiation. Here, we review studies that apply external fields to create porous ceramics with different microstructural patterns, gradients, and anisotropic alignments. The resulting materials possess distinct gradient, core–shell, ring, helical, or long-range alignment and enhanced anisotropic mechanical properties.

Toughening Nanoparticle Films via Polymer Infiltration and Confinement

Disordered nanoparticle films have significant technological applications as coatings and membranes. Unfortunately, their use to date has been limited by poor mechanical properties, notably low fracture toughness, which often results in brittle failure and cracking. We demonstrate that the fracture toughness of TiO₂ nanoparticle films can be increased by nearly an order of magnitude through infiltration of polystyrene into the film. The fracture properties of films with various polymer volume fractions were characterized via nanoindentation pillar-splitting tests. Significant toughening is observed even at low volume fractions of polymer, which allows the nanoparticle packing to be toughened while retaining porosity. Moreover, higher-molecular-weight polymers lead to greater toughening at low polymer volume fractions. The toughness enhancement observed in polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films may be attributed to multiple factors, including an increase in the area and strength of interparticle contacts, deflection and blunting of cracks during failure, and confinement-induced polymer bridging of nanoparticles. Our findings demonstrate that polymer infiltration is a highly effective route for reinforcing nanoparticle packings while retaining porosity.

Solvent-Driven Infiltration of Polymer (SIP) into Nanoparticle Packings

Despite their wide potential utility, the manufacture of polymer-nanoparticle (NP) composites with high filler fractions presents significant challenges because of difficulties associated with dispersing and mixing high volume fractions of NPs in polymer matrices. Polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films (PINFs) circumvent these issues, allowing fabrication of functional composites with extremely high filler fractions (>50 vol %). In this work, we present a one-step, room-temperature method for porous PINF fabrication through solvent-driven infiltration of polymer (SIP) into NP packings from a bilayer film composed of a densely packed layer of NPs atop a polymer film. Upon exposure to solvent vapor, capillary condensation occurs in the NP packing, leading to plasticization of the polymer layer and subsequent infiltration of polymer into the NP layer. This process results in a porous PINF without the need for energy-intensive processes. We show that the extent of polymer infiltration depends on the quality of solvent and the duration of solvent annealing as well as the molecular weight of the polymer. SIP can also be induced using a slightly poor solvent, which offers a great advantage of inducing SIP via liquid solvent annealing, eliminating potential hazards associated with solvent vapor annealing. The SIP process circumvents challenges associated with dispersing high concentrations of nanoparticles in a polymer matrix to prepare a nanocomposite film with high filler fraction. Thus, SIP is a potentially scalable method that can be used for the manufacturing of porous PINFs of a wide range of compositions, structures, and functionalities for applications in structural and barrier coatings as well as electrodes for energy storage and conversion devices.

Nanoporous Polymer-Infiltrated Nanoparticle Films with Uniform or Graded Porosity via Undersaturated Capillary Rise Infiltration

In this work, we present the fabrication of nanoporous polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films (PINFs) with either uniform or graded porosity based on undersaturated capillary rise infiltration (UCaRI) and study the processing-structure-property relationship of these nanoporous PINFs. The UCaRI process involves first generating a bilayer film of a randomly packed nanoparticle layer atop a polymer layer, such that the volume of the polymer is less than the void volume in the nanoparticle packing. Subsequently, the bilayer film is annealed above the glass transition temperature of the polymer to induce polymer infiltration into the voids of the nanoparticle packing. Using in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry and molecular dynamics simulations, we observe that the polymer transport occurs in two stages: capillarity-induced infiltration, followed by gradual spreading, likely via surface diffusion. By varying the annealing time, UCaRI enables the generation of graded or uniform nanoporous PINFs. We also show that these nanoporous PINFs have tunable optical and mechanical properties, which can be tailored simply by changing the nanoparticle to polymer layer thickness ratio in the initial bilayer. The UCaRI approach is versatile and widely applicable to various polymers, which allows generation of nanoporous PINFs for multiple applications.

Vacuum-Induced Surface Freezing to Produce Monoliths of Aligned Porous Alumina

Vacuum-induced surface freezing has been used to produce uni-directional freezing of colloidal aluminum oxide dispersions. It leads to zones of different structure within the resulting sintered monoliths that are highly similar to those known for freeze casting using a cryogen cold source. A more-or-less dense surface layer and a cellular sub-surface region are formed, beneath which is a middle region of aligned lamellae and pores that stretches through most of the depth of the monolith. This is the case even at a volume fraction of dispersed phase as low as 0.032. A more-dense but still porous base layer is formed by accumulation of rejected nanoparticles preceding the freezing front and differs from previous reports in that no ice lenses are observed. X-ray micro-computed tomography reveals a uniform aligned pore structure vertically through the monolith. The pores close to the periphery are oriented radially or as chords, while the center region contains domains of parallel pores/lamellae. The domains are randomly oriented to one another, as already reported for regular freeze casting. This technique for directional freezing is convenient and easy to perform, but requires further refinement in that the temperature gradient and freezing rates remain yet to be measured. Also, control of the temperature gradient by varying chamber vacuum and shelf temperature needs to be evaluated.

Graphene-Elastomer Composites with Segregated Nanostructured Network for Liquid and Strain Sensing Application

One of the critical issues for the fabrication of desirable sensing materials has focused on the construction of an effective continuous network with a low percolation threshold. Herein, graphene-based elastomer composites with a segregated nanostructured graphene network were prepared by a novel and effective ice-templating strategy. The segregated graphene network bestowed on the natural rubber (NR) composites an ultralow electrical percolation threshold (0.4 vol %), 8-fold lower than that of the NR/graphene composites with homogeneous dispersion morphology (3.6 vol %). The resulting composites containing 0.63 vol % graphene exhibited high liquid sensing responsivity (6700), low response time (114 s), and good reproducibility. The unique segregated structure also provides this graphene-based elastomer (containing 0.42 vol % graphene) with exceptionally high stretchability, sensitivity (gauge factor ≈ 139), and good reproducibility (∼400 cycles) of up to 60% strain under cyclic tests. The fascinating performances highlight the potential applications of graphene-elastomer composites with an effective segregated network as multifunctional sensing materials.

Calcium Orthophosphate-Containing Biocomposites and Hybrid Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications

The state-of-the-art on calcium orthophosphate (CaPO4)-containing biocomposites and hybrid biomaterials suitable for biomedical applications is presented. Since these types of biomaterials offer many significant and exciting possibilities for hard tissue regeneration, this subject belongs to a rapidly expanding area of biomedical research. Through the successful combinations of the desired properties of matrix materials with those of fillers (in such systems, CaPO4 might play either role), innovative bone graft biomaterials can be designed. Various types of CaPO4-based biocomposites and hybrid biomaterials those are either already in use or being investigated for biomedical applications are extensively discussed. Many different formulations in terms of the material constituents, fabrication technologies, structural and bioactive properties, as well as both in vitro and in vivo characteristics have been already proposed. Among the others, the nano-structurally controlled biocomposites, those containing nanodimensional compounds, biomimetically fabricated formulations with collagen, chitin and/or gelatin, as well as various functionally graded structures seem to be the most promising candidates for clinical applications. The specific advantages of using CaPO4-based biocomposites and hybrid biomaterials in the selected applications are highlighted. As the way from a laboratory to a hospital is a long one and the prospective biomedical candidates have to meet many different necessities, the critical issues and scientific challenges that require further research and development are also examined.

A meta-analysis of the mechanical properties of ice-templated ceramics and metals

Ice templating, also known as freeze casting, is a popular shaping route for macroporous materials. Over the past 15 years, it has been widely applied to various classes of materials, and in particular ceramics. Many formulation and process parameters, often interdependent, affect the outcome. It is thus difficult to understand the various relationships between these parameters from isolated studies where only a few of these parameters have been investigated. We report here the results of a meta analysis of the structural and mechanical properties of ice templated materials from an exhaustive collection of records. We use these results to identify which parameters are the most critical to control the structure and properties, and to derive guidelines for optimizing the mechanical response of ice templated materials. We hope these results will be a helpful guide to anyone interested in such materials.