Shell Scaffolds: A new approach towards high strength bioceramic scaffolds for bone regeneration

A key issue for bone tissue engineering is the design of bioceramic scaffolds combining high porosity with adequate mechanical properties. Furthermore, a resistant surface is required in order to have manageable samples for both in vivo and in vitro applications. Here a new protocol that aims at giving an appropriate response to these issues is developed. The realized shell scaffolds, obtained by combining a modified replication technique with the usual polymer burning-out method, look rather promising mainly thanks to their manageability, porosity and permeability. In this preliminary work the developed technique is discussed, together with an overview on the structure of the realized samples. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.