Sintering and robocasting of beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds for orthopaedic applications.
beta-Tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) scaffolds with designed, three-dimensional (3-D) geometry and mesoscale porosity have been fabricated by direct-write assembly (robocasting) techniques. Concentrated beta-TCP inks with suitable viscoelastic properties were developed to enable the fabrication of the complex 3-D structures. A comprehensive study of the sintering behavior of TCP as a function of the calcium content in the starting powder was also carried out, and the optimal heat treatment for fabricating scaffolds with dense beta-TCP rods has been determined. Such analysis provides clues to controlling the microstructure of the fabricated structures and, therefore, enabling the fabrication by robocasting of TCP scaffolds with tailored performance for bone tissue engineering applications.
Miranda
Pedro
P
Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Rd., Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. pmiranda@unex.es
Saiz
Eduardo
E
Gryn
Karol
K
Tomsia
Antoni P
AP
D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D015393:Chemistry, Bioinorganic / Q000379:methods*; D008420:Manufactured Materials; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D016062:Porosity; D011208:Powders / Q000737:chemistry; D014783:Viscosity
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D011208:Powders; C485817:beta-tricalcium phosphate