Silicon-doped biphasic α-calcium-phosphate/hydroxyapatite scaffolds obtained by a replica foam method using uniform pre-annealed spherical particles

In this study, spherical particles of hydroxyapatite (HA) and α-tricalcium phosphate (α-Ca3(PO4)2; α-TCP) doped with different amounts of silicon were used for the preparation of scaffolds. The scaffolds were obtained by a replica foam method using particles of narrow size distribution pre-annealed at 1150 °C with different α-TCP and HA contents in order to investigate the effect of composition on their morphological and mechanical properties. Morphology, size, and distribution of the particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and particle size analyzer. The obtained α-TCP-HA scaffolds had compressive strengths up to 5.7 MPa with a uniform and interconnected porous structure. X-ray diffraction analysis used to determine the crystal structure of the scaffolds confirmed that the α-TCP-HA content could be controlled by the amount of silicon ions.

► Preparation of spherical α-calcium-phosphate/hydroxyapatite particles.
► Preparation a highly macro and micro porous α-calcium-phosphate/HA bone scaffolds.
► Improving the compressive strength of the scaffold using pre-annealed spherical particles.