Effects of bioglass nanoparticles on bioactivity and mechanical property of poly(3-hydroxybutirate) scaffolds

The development of composite scaffold materials in bone tissue engineering is gaining appeal, as the beneficial properties of two or more types of material can be compounded together to better respond to the mechanical and physiological demands of the host tissue. In this study, poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) was reinforced with a different weight ratio of nanobioglass (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt%). The nanocomposite scaffolds were successfully prepared by the salt leaching process with various volume fractions of porosities (70, 80 and 90 wt% of NaCl). The results of our studies showed a favorable interaction between polymer and bioglass nanoparticles, which improved interfaces and mechanical properties, especially in samples which were prepared with 70 wt% NaCl. The Young's modulus of samples ranged from 7.23 MPa to 48.27 MPa, which were in the range of the Young's modulus of cancellous bone. The analysis results of samples which were immersed in SBF showed that hydroxyapatite formed on the nanocomposite scaffold surfaces, and they exhibited high bioactivity compared to the pure PHB scaffolds. In this study, nanobioglass, as a reinforcement phase with low mass fraction, is shown to be more effective than micro-materials with high mass fraction.