Mechanical properties and reliability of glass–ceramic foam scaffolds for bone repair

• We fabricated strong glass–ceramic scaffolds with bone-like trabecular structure.
• The 3D porous architecture of the scaffolds was investigated by micro-CT.
• Key mechanical properties of the scaffolds were determined.
• The Weibull modulus of foam-like glass scaffolds was assessed for the first time.
• The scaffolds can be suggested for load-bearing bone repair.

The development of reliable, synthetic scaffolds to repair large defects in load-bearing bones is one of the key challenges of regenerative medicine of hard tissues. This study addresses the mechanical properties of experimental glass–ceramic scaffolds fabricated by sponge replication and exhibiting a bone-like 3-D trabecular architecture, as assessed by micro-computed tomography investigations. The scaffolds have a strength of 18 MPa, an elastic modulus around 380 MPa, a Weibull modulus of 4 and a fracture energy of 544 kJ m−3 when tested in compression. Such results were compared with and found similar or even superior to those reported in the literature for bioceramic scaffolds and human cancellous bone. These key mechanical data, together with the peculiar foam-like porous architecture, indicate the great potential of this type of scaffolds for use in load-bearing bone tissue engineering applications.