Fabrication and characterization of porous 3D whisker-covered calcium phosphate scaffolds

Porous three-dimensional (3D) whisker-covered calcium phosphate (CaP) scaffolds were fabricated using a hydrothermal method. Porous CaP ceramics were first prepared by applying the H2O2 foaming method to mimic the porous structure of bones. Then, three-dimensional (3D) hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAp) micro-whiskers were generated in CaP ceramics by hydrothermal treatment. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the scaffolds maintained their porous structures and newly generated micro-whiskers with 3D morphologies were vertically grown on ceramic inner walls. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that the micro-whiskers are made of HAp microcrystals. The HAp whisker formation mechanism was proposed. 3D HAp whisker-covered porous CaP ceramics provide a structural design reference for bone tissue engineering.