Nano-Hydroxyapatite/Polymer Composite Scaffold for Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide66 (n-HA/PA66) composite scaffolds are prepared using phase separation and phase separation in combination with particle leaching, and both the composite powder and paste are used as starting materials. The composite is characterized by IR and XRD. The micro-architecture of the scaffolds is observed by SEM, and the mechanisms that the formation of the porous structure follows have been investigated preliminarily. The results show that scaffold prepared by phase separation in combination with particle leaching method using composite powder as starting material possesses controllable porosity and interconnectivity, as well as good mechanical strength comparable to human cancellous bone, suitable for being the tissue-engineered scaffold for load-bearing bone repair. Furthermore, scaffold made by phase separation using composite paste as starting material exhibits an anisotropy both in morphology and mechanical properties, which indicates the potential of guiding cell seeding, distribution and new tissue formation in preferential direction.