Fabrication and characterization of bioactive glass/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite foam by gelcasting method

Bioceramic foams have been applied for drug releasing agents, cell loading, and widely for hard tissue scaffold. The aim of this study was fabrication and characterization of nanostructure bioceramic composite foam (BCF) consisting of hydroxyapatite (HA) and bioactive glass (BG) via gelcasting method for applications in tissue engineering. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis techniques were utilized in order to evaluate respectively, phase composition, dimension, morphology, and interconnectivity of pores, and particle size of synthesized HA, BG, and BCF. The results showed that fabrication of the BCF with a particle size in the range 20-42 nm and pore size in the range 100-250 mu m was successfully performed. The maximum values of compressive strength and elastic modulus of the BCF were found to be about 1.95 MPa and 204 MPa, respectively, related to a sample sintered at 900 degrees C for 4 h. The mean values of the true (total) and apparent (interconnected) porosity were calculated in the range 86-91% and 60-71%, respectively. It seems that the measured properties make the BCF a good candidate for tissue engineering applications, preferentially in drug delivery, cell loading, and other nonloading applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.