Sintering of Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate Scaffold Using Polyurethane Template

Porous beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) bioceramic has been reported as synthetic graft for cancellous bone substitute due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability properties. A highly porous and interconnected porosity architecture of bone scaffold facilitates attachment and in-growth of new bone tissue. β-TCP foam, a porous 3-dimensional scaffold was fabricated by employing polymeric foam replica method in this study. Polyurethane (PU) foam was used as the sacrificial template, in which β-TCP slurry with powder to water ratio of 10g:10ml was coated on PU template and sintered to 1100, 1200, 1250 and 1300°C. Observation on architecture of the foam, macrostructure and microstructure of pores and surface topography of porous strut showed that sintering at 1250°C produced sufficient densification of grains and micropores on the β-TCP strut. The β-TCP foams exhibited high porosity (92 – 97%) and large pore size (200 - 750um) that resemble cancellous bone structure.