Abstract

Design of a scaffold with convenient mechanical properties to emulate bone structure is a major challenge for bone tissue engineers. In this study, porous ceramic scaffolds containing various weight fractions of nano beta-tricalcium phosphate (n beta-TCP) (with a particle size of about 50-70 nm) were prepared by the replication method. Synthesised scaffolds were then coated with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) for 30 and 60 sec. According to the morphological and mechanical tests, it was determined that synthesised scaffold containing 50 wt. of n beta-TCP with a coating time of 30 sec showed desirable properties in bone tissue engineering. The bioactivity of this scaffold indicated that the bone-like apatite layers were well formed on the nanocomposite scaffold. Cell culture study showed a significant increase in cell proliferation between the coated, uncoated and control sample after 5 days of cell culturing. The results confirm that this nanocomposite scaffold has good potential for bone tissue engineering applications.