Precision extruding deposition of composite polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Precision extruding deposition (PED) process was used to directly fabricate Polycaprolactone (PCL)/hydroxyapatite (HA) composite tissue scaffolds. HA powder was melt blended with PCL, a biodegradable polymer. Scaffolds with a controlled pore size of 400 /spl mu/m and a 64% porosity were fabricated. The scaffold morphology and the mechanical properties were evaluated using SEM and mechanical testing. Preliminary biological study was conducted to investigate the cellular responses of the composite scaffolds. Results and characterizations demonstrate the viability of the PED process as well as the good mechanical property, structural integrity, controlled pore size, pore interconnectivity, and the biological compatibility of the fabricated PCL/HA scaffolds.