Formation and characterization of porous spherical biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) granules using PCL

Abstract

We developed a process to fabricate porous spherical BCP granules using different volumetric ratios of polycaprolactone (PCL). This technique takes advantage of the formation of spherical drop shapes that occur for any liquid. The method to produce porous granules is based on the liquid immiscibility effect of a PCL solution and distilled water. Granules were sintered at 1300 degrees C and 1400 degrees C using conventional and microwave sintering techniques. Using this approach, the granules showed a good pore-interconnected relation and granules with a porosity that ranged from 36.12% to 59.8%, inner pore sizes that ranged from 30 mu m to 250 mu m, and a granular size of about 1.5 mm could be obtained. Granules were characterized for microstructure, phase composition and porosity. Using this novel approach, we were able to achieve desirable porous characteristics that simulate natural bone structure. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.