title: Foam-like scaffolds for bone tissue engineering based  on a novel couple of silicate-phosphate specular glasses: synthesis  and properties.
abstract: Glass-ceramic scaffolds mimicking the structure of cancellous bone were produced via sponge replication technique by using a polyurethane foam as template and glass powder below 30 lm as inorganic phase. Specifically, a SiO₂-based glass of complex composition and its corresponding P₂O₅-based "specular" glass were used as materials for scaffolding. The polymeric sponge was thermally removed and the glass powders were sintered to obtain a replica of the template structure. The scaffolds were investigated and compared from a structural, morphological and mechanical viewpoint by assessing their crystalline phases, volumetric shrinkage, pores content and interconnection, mechanical strength. In addition, the scaffolds were soaked in acellular simulated body fluid to investigate their in vitro behaviour. The produced scaffolds have a great potential for bone reconstructive surgery because their features, such as shape, strength, bioactivity and bioresorption, can be easily tailored according to the end use.
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Chemical Engineering Department, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy. chiara.vitale@polito.it
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vitale-Brovarone
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baino
authors.forename: Oana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bretcanu
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verne
mesh_terms: D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization; D005898:Glass / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010710:Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D017640:Silicates / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013696:Temperature; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D010710:Phosphates; D011108:Polymers; D017640:Silicates; C023506:Glass ceramics