Development of a bi-pore scaffold using indirect solid freeform fabrication based on microstereolithography technology

Precise control over the biomaterial, porosity, and inner architecture of a scaffold is essential for tissue regeneration. This paper proposes a new bi-pore scaffold that has both global and local pores in its structure. The global pores can serve as channels for supplying cells with nutrients and oxygen, while the local pores provide space for cell growth. A lost mold shape-forming process based on high-resolution microstereolithography technology was used to form the global pores, and conventional scaffold fabrication methods, such as salt leaching and phase inversion, were added to the molding process to generate local pores. This resulted in the fabrication of 300 to 400 mu m global pores with the lost molding process; local pores of 30 to 100 mu m and 1 to 5 mu m were achieved with salt leaching and phase inversion, respectively. Compared to other processes, this fabrication process provides a powerful method for bi-pore scaffold fabrication. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. Ail rights reserved.