Porous Silicon Carbide Scaffolds with Patterned Surfaces Obtained from the Sea Rush Juncus maritimus for Tissue Engineering Applications

The fabrication of silicon carbide scaffolds from the sea rush Juncus maritimus , by its thermal decomposition and subsequent infiltration with molten silicon was detailed. The preservation in the ceramics of the patterned surface and porosity of the plant was confirmed by electron microscopy, mercury porosimetry, and interferometric profilometry, where an increase of the surface roughness along the pattern, as a consequence of β‐SiC crystals formation, was detected. Physicochemical characterization validated these ceramics as viable scaffolds for tissue engineering. To test the biological response, MC3T3‐E1 pre‐osteoblasts were incubated on the ceramics revealing a healthy morphology with filopodia extended in the pattern direction.