Using ductile cores for enhancing the mechanical performance of hollow strut β-TCP scaffolds fabricated by digital light processing

Hybrid scaffolds consisting of a three-dimensional network of hollow struts of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) with cores filled with polycaprolactone (PCL) were fabricated. For the development of the ceramic structures the additive manufacturing technique known as Digital Light Processing (DLP) was employed. After sintering, cores were infiltrated with molten PCL by suction. The enhancement of the scaffolds’ compressive strength and toughness upon infiltration was evaluated through uniaxial compression tests. The effect of the core diameter on the mechanical performance was also analyzed. Moreover, a comprehensive finite element analysis was carried out to broaden the study on the effect of core/shell respective diameters and to analyze the role of the modulus of the core material on the strength of the hybrid structure.