Preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite reinforced polymeric scaffolds

Porous HA reinforced PLA/PCL scaffolds with polymer volume percentages in the 7.0-7.6 range have been prepared by solvent-casting/salt leaching technique. The scaffolds have been characterized by conducting gravimetric measurements, FTIR analysis, TGA, X-ray diffraction analysis, compression tests, cell viability tests, and thermal and hydrolytic degradation tests in order to investigate the effect of PLA/PCL, PLA/HA, PCL/HA and PLA/PCL/HA blending on scaffold properties. Porosity of the scaffolds has been determined to be in the 83-92 percent range. The scaffold porosity has decreased with HA content. The water absorption of the scaffolds has been found to be in between 400 and 750%. The yield strength and the elastic modulus of the scaffolds have been determined to be in the 0.001-0.02 and 5.6-10.6 MPa ranges, respectively. The yield strength of the scaffolds has increased by both PCL and HA contents whereas elastic modulus has increased with PCL content but has decreased with HA content. Mechanical test results have indicated that the addition of HA has increased the strength of the scaffolds while decreasing their flexibility. The activation energies for the thermal degradation of the scaffolds have been determined to be in the 130-398 kJ/mol range and have been shown to be a function of PCL, PLA, and HA content. The hydrolytic degradation behavior of the scaffolds in acetate buffer solutions (pH=4.5) during 127 days and XRD analysis have indicated that the hydrolytic degradation occurring in the amorphous part of the surface film has been diffusion-controlled. The diffusion coefficients of the degradation products in the scaffolds have been estimated to be in the 1.21-4.95x10(-13) m(2)/s range. Cell viability test results have indicated that the composition of the composite scaffold structure has played a determining role in the prepared scaffolds.