Fabrication and the Characterisation of the Bioactivity and Degradability of Macroporous Calcium Silicate Bioceramics in vitro

Macroporous calcium silicate bioceramics with interconnected pore structures were prepared by adding PEG as pore-forming agent. The porosity and the compressive strength were controlled between 53.7% and 73.6% and 4.9MPa and 48.5MPa, respectively, by the regulation of PEG amount. The samples with porosity of 63.1% were soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF) to investigate their bioactivity and degradability. After soaking in SBF for 1 day, the samples were completely covered by hydroxycarbonate apatite layers. The degradability of the samples reached 7.14% after soaking in SBF for 7 days. The results suggested excellent in vitro bioactivity and degradability of the macroporous calcium silicate ceramics. Therefore, these macroporous calcium silicate ceramics may be potential candidates as bioactive and degradable scaffolds for hard tissue repair and tissue engineering applications.