Poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) foams with TiO2 nanoparticles and PDLLA/TiO2-Bioglass R foam composites for tissue engineering scaffolds

Porous poly(D,L-lactide) PDLLA foams containing 0, 5 and 20 wt% of TiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated and characterised. The addition of Bioglass R particles was also studied in a composite containing 5 wt% of Bioglass R particles and 20 wt% of TiO2 nanoparticles. The microstructure of the four different foam types was characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their mechanical properties assessed by quasi-static compression testing. The in vitro behaviour of the foams was studied in simulated body fluid (SBF) at three different time points: 3, 21 and 28 days. The degradation of the samples was characterised quantitatively by measuring the water absorption and weight loss as a function of immersion time in SBF. The bioactivity of the foams was characterised by observing hydroxyapatite (HA) formation after 21 days of immersion in SBF using SEM and confirmed with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. It was found that the amount of HA was dependent on the distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles and on the presence of Bioglass R in the foam samples. C 2006 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.