Development and characterization of poly(ε-caprolactone) reinforced porous hydroxyapatite for bone tissue engineering

Hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffold was fabricated using template method. Secondary phase of poly(caprolactone) (PCL) was then introduced into the porous structure of the HA scaffold by the freeze drying method or the room drying process. Compression test and SEM were done to examine the mechanical properties and the microstructural morphology of the composite scaffolds. It was found that the compressive strength and modulus tend to increase with increasing PCL concentration. HA/PCL scaffolds fabricated under the room drying process exhibited higher compression strength and modulus than HA/PCL scaffolds prepared by the freeze drying method because the porous HA surfaces were completely covered by PCL in the room drying scaffolds. XRD test was also used to study the phase stability of the scaffolds. It was confirmed that there was no chemical reaction between PCL and HA. On overall, the results indicated that the introduction of secondary PCL phases into the porous HA scaffold can improve the low strength and toughness of the pure HA scaffold and the HA/PCL composite scaffolds might be a potential candidate in bone tissue engineering.