SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL AND BIOACTIVE PROPERTIES OF β-TCP/ BREDIGITE SCAFFOLD FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS

Development of bioactive ceramic composite scaffold materials with enhanced mechanical strength has been a topic of great interest in bone tissue engineering. In the present study, β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds with various amounts of bredigite and an interconnected pore network suitable for bone regeneration were fabricated by the space holder method. The effect of high concentrations of bredigite on the structure, mechanical properties (compressive strength), and in vitro bioactivity was investigated. According to the results, immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) led to the apatite formation on the surface of the scaffold, but increasing the bredigite content caused the agglomeration of the bredigite phase at the grain boundaries and deteriorated the mechanical properties.