Macroporous sol-gel bioglasses scaffold with high compressive strength, porosity and specific surface area

Bioactive glasses are known to have the ability to regenerate bone, but their use has been restricted mainly to powder, granules, or small monoliths. In this work, a series of macroporous bioglasses were produced by adding dried steamed bread particles into the sol as pore former. The porosity and macroporous diameter can be controlled by altering the particle size and volume of pore former. The macroporous structure can provide the potential room for tissue ingrowth. Simultaneously the samples exhibit mesoporous texture and high specific surface which can enhance bioactivity and release of ionic products. The most important is that these samples show satisfactory mechanical strength. These materials can fulfill the demands of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering and have great potential in applications to repair and reconstruct damaged tissue. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.I. All rights reserved.