Porous tantalum scaffold fabricated by gel casting based on 3D printing and electrolysis

[Display omitted] •A hybrid method combining gel cast based on 3D printing with electrolysis reduction to fabricate Ta scaffold was proposed.•The Ta scaffold with hierarchical porosity can easily obtained.•The Ta scaffold is non-toxic and can facilitate the cell adhesion and ingrowth in vitro. Tantalum has excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties that can be used as an ideal bone scaffold material. However, its applications have been limited because of its high melting point, affinity to oxygen and cost. In this study, we used an inexpensive tantalum oxide powder as a starting material and developed a method combining gel casting based on 3D printing with electrolysis reduction to fabricate porous tantalum scaffolds. The non-toxic of scaffolds was evaluated. Results showed that the scaffolds facilitated cell proliferation in vitro. The scaffolds have a compressive strength close to a cancellous bone.