Fabrication and characterization of three-dimensional porous cornstarch/n-hap biocomposite scaffold

• Main Authors: Beh, C. Y., Cheng, E. M., Mohd. Nasir, N. F., Abdul Majid, M. S., Mohd. Roslan, M. R., You, K. Y., Khor, S. F., M. Ridzuan, M. J.
• Format: Article
• Published: Springer 2020
• Subjects: TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
• Online Access: http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/93478/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12034-020-02217-0

The aim of this study is to investigate the morphological, functional group, crystallinity and mechanical properties of a three-dimensional porous cornstarch/n-HAp (nano-hydroxyapatite) biocomposite scaffold. In this study, cornstarch/n-HAp scaffolds were fabricated using the solvent casting and particulate leaching technique. The porous cornstarch/n-HAp composites with various cornstarch contents (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 wt%) were prepared and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer and compression test. The morphology of the scaffolds possessed macropores (200–600 μm) and micropores (50–100 μm) with a high interconnectivity. The porosity of the porous cornstarch/n-HAp scaffolds varied between 53 and 70% with compressive strength and compressive modulus of 2.03 and 8.27 MPa, respectively. The results suggested that highly porous cornstarch/n-HAp scaffold properties with adequate mechanical properties can be obtained for applications in bone tissue engineering.