An improved polymeric sponge replication method for biomedical porous titanium scaffolds

Biomedical porous titanium (Ti) scaffolds were fabricated by an improved polymeric sponge replication method. The unique formulations and distinct processing techniques, i.e. a mixture of water and ethanol as solvent, multiple coatings with different viscosities of the Ti slurries and centrifugation for removing the extra slurries were used in the present study. The optimized porous Ti scaffolds had uniform porous structure and completely interconnected macropores (~ 365.1 μm). In addition, two different sizes of micropores (~ 45.4 and ~ 6.2 μm) were also formed in the skeleton of the scaffold. The addition of ethanol to the Ti slurry increased the compressive strength of the scaffold by improving the compactness of the skeleton. A compressive strength of 83.6 ± 4.0 MPa was achieved for a porous Ti scaffold with a porosity of 66.4 ± 1.8%. Our cellular study also revealed that the scaffolds could support the growth and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). - Highlights: • An improved sponge replication method for porous titanium scaffolds was developed. • A mixture of water and ethanol was used to make the titanium slurries. • The scaffolds have high mechanical strength for load-bearing bone repair. • The scaffolds support growth of mesenchymal stem cells.