Evaluation of the effects of nano-TiO^sub 2^ on physical and mechanical properties of nano-bioglass 45S5 scaffold for bone tissue engineering

• Published in: Scientia Iranica. Transaction F, Nanotechnology Vol. 22; no. 3; p. 1337
• Main Authors: Bakhtiyari, S Soleymani Eil, Karbasi, S, Monshi, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tehran Sharif University of Technology 01.06.2015
• Subjects: Bones; Mechanical properties; Nanotechnology; Physical properties; Tissue engineering

Design of a scaffold with appropriate physical and mechanical properties for tissue engineering is a major challenge. In this research, the effects of nano-titania (nTiO^sub 2^) on the physical and mechanical properties of a nano-bioglass (nBG) scaffold were evaluated. First, nBG powder with a grain size of 100-110 nm was prepared using the method of melting pure raw material at a temperature of 1400°C. Then, a porous ceramic scaffold of nBG/nTiO^sub 2^, with 30 wt% of nBG, containing different weight ratios of nano-titania (3, 6 and 9 wt% nTiO^sub 2^ with a grain size of 35-37 nm), was prepared using the polyurethane sponge replication method. XRD, XRF, SEM, FE-SEM and FTIR were used to study the phase and elemental structures, morphology, particle size, and determination of functional groups, respectively. XRD and XRF results showed that the type of produced bioglass was 45S5. The results of XRD and FT-IR showed that the best temperature to produce a bioglass scaffold was 600°C, because, at this temperature, the crystal was obtained, and the main sign of the obtained crystal was the presence of Na^sub 2^Ca^sub 2^Si^sub 3^O^sub 9^ crystal. The mechanical strength and modulus of the scaffold improved by adding nTiO^sub 2^ to the nBG scaffold. The results showed that the scaffolds have 80-88% porosity at the range of 200-600 µm; a compressive strength of 0.04-0.16 MPa, and a compressive modulus of 4-13.33 MPa, illustrating that they could be good candidates for bone tissue engineering.