Processing methods for making porous bioactive glass-based scaffolds-A state-of-the-art review

Bioactive glasses exhibit the unique ability of bone bonding, thus creating a stable interface by stimulating bone cells toward mechanisms of regeneration and self-repair activated by ionic dissolution products. Therefore, 3D glass-derived scaffolds can be considered ideal porous templates to be used in bone tissue engineering strategies and regenerative medicine. This review provides a comprehensive overview of all technological aspects relevant to the fabrication of bioactive glass scaffolds, including the fundamentals of materials processing, a summary of the conventional porogen, and template-based methods and of recent additive manufacturing technologies, which are promising for large-scale production of highly reproducible and reliable implants suitable for a wide range of clinical applications.