Poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) foams with TiO2 nanoparticles and PDLLA/TiO2-Bioglass® foam composites for tissue engineering scaffolds

Porous poly(D,L-lactide) PDLLA foams containing 0, 5 and 20 wt% of TiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated and characterised. The addition of Bioglassg particles was also studied in a composite containing 5 wt% of Bioglass(R) particles and 20 wt% of TiO2 nanoparticles. The microstructure of the four different foam types was characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their mechanical properties assessed by quasi-static compression testing. The in vitro behaviour of the foams was studied in simulated body fluid (SBF) at three different time points: 3, 21 and 28 days. The degradation of the samples was characterised quantitatively by measuring the water absorption and weight loss as a function of immersion time in SBE The bioactivity of the foams was characterised by observing hydroxyapatite (HA) formation after 21 days of immersion in SBF using SEM and confirmed with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. It was found that the amount of HA was dependent on the distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles and on the presence of Bioglassg in the foam samples. (c) 2006 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.