Properties of biocomposites based on titanium scaffolds with a different porosity

Open-porous titanium scaffolds have been widely investigated for orthopaedic and dental applications because of their ability to form composites via bone ingrowth into pores and promote implant fixation with mother bone. In this work, porous titanium scaffolds coated with a diamond-like carbon were produced, and their ability to form biocomposites was evaluated through in vivo experiments. Three types of the open-porous scaffolds made of spongy titanium granules (porosity 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5, Young’s modulus 4.4, 3.5 and 0.6 GPa) were implanted into a bone defect of sheep. Time dependences of the Young’s modulus of titanium scaffold–bone tissue biocomposites were determined through the measurement of Young’s modulus of the extracted scaffolds after 4, 8, 24 and 52 weeks of surgery. The Young’s modulus of biocomposite is dependent not only on the time of composite formation but also on the porosity of scaffold.