Poly-epsilon-caprolactone/hydroxyapatite for tissue engineering scaffold fabrication via selective laser sintering

Rapid prototyping (RP) techniques are becoming more popular for fabricating tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds owing to their advantages over conventional methods, such as the ability to fabricate scaffolds with predetermined interconnected networks without the use of organic solvents. A versatile RP technique, selective laser sintering (SLS), offers good user control of scaffold microstructure by adjusting the process parameters. This research focuses on a the use of biocomposite material, consisting of poly-epsilon-caprolactone (PCL) and hydroxyapatite (HA), to fabricate TE scaffolds using SLS. Biocomposite blends with different percentage weights of HA were physically blended and sintered to assess their suitability for fabrication via SLS. Optimal sintering conditions for the powders were achieved by varying parameters such as laser power and scan speed. Studies of the sintered specimen morphology were performed by scanning electron microscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the homogeneity of the biocomposite blend. Simulated body fluid (SBF) samples show the formation of hydroxy carbonate apatite, as a result of soaking HA in a SBF environment. Cell culture experiment showed that Saos-2 cells were able to live and replicate on the fabricated scaffolds. The results show the favorable potential of PCL/HA biocomposite as TE scaffolds that are fabricated via SLS. (C) 2006 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.