Premium
Three‐dimensional nanocomposite scaffolds with ordered cylindrical orthogonal pores
Author(s) -
Rodríguez Hernández José Carlos,
Serrano Aroca Ángel,
Gómez Ribelles José Luis,
Pradas Manuel Monleón
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.30902
Subject(s) - materials science , nanocomposite , porosity , composite material , scaffold , nanometre , polyamide , homogeneity (statistics) , polymer , acrylate , self healing hydrogels , chemical engineering , copolymer , polymer chemistry , medicine , statistics , mathematics , biomedical engineering , engineering
A silica reinforcement can improve the mechanical properties of hydrogels in the rubbery state. A method to prepare a scaffold with a well‐ordered array of cylindrical pores is presented in this work, which yields a scaffold with a biphasic matrix of a hybrid nanocomposite: the hydrogel poly(2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA) and a silica network obtained by an acid catalyzed sol–gel process of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). As porogenic template of the scaffold stacked layers of commercial polyamide 6 fabrics were used, which were compressed and sintered. Porosity and dynamic mechanical response of the resulting scaffolds were measured and compared with the bulk properties. Removal of the organic polymer phase of the scaffold by pyrolysis revealed the overall continuity of the silica network; the residue maintained the original cylindrical pore structure of the scaffolds, though slightly shrunk. Atomic force microscopy topography measurements of these pyrolysed residues revealed a silica structure with particle aggregates having sizes around tens of nanometers. The silica distribution was assessed by X‐ray microanalysis mapping, showing homogeneity at a micrometer scale. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2008