Fabrication of bioceramic scaffolds with ordered pore structure by inverse replication of assembled particles

β-Tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds with an ordered pore structure were fabricated by ceramic slip casting using a particle-assembled template. An ordered pore structure is expected to enable uniform and accurate improvement in the topology of the porous structure of scaffolds. Monosized spherical polyethylene particles were self-assembled into an fcc lattice by close-packing with a pyramidal indentation and heat-treated for interparticle necking. β-TCP slurry was cast with this particle array, followed by heat treatments to burn out the particles and sinter the β-TCP frame. The sintered scaffold showed not only an ordered arrangement of uniform pores but also pore interconnection pathways, which faithfully replicated the particle-assembled structure. High porosity, high pore interconnectivity, and structural controllability, as well as high accessibility, were achieved by this process.