Porous Ceramic Scaffolds in Bone Tissue Engineering
Summary
Porous ceramic scaffolds constitute a class of three-dimensional bioceramic constructs designed to support and guide the regeneration of bone tissue. Typically composed of calcium phosphate or related bioactive ceramics, these scaffolds provide a balance of mechanical strength and osteoconductivity, mimicking the mineral phase of natural bone. Their internal architectures are engineered to present interconnected pores that facilitate vascularisation, nutrient transport and cell ingrowth. Advances in processing—from freeze casting and lithography-based techniques to coextrusion and digital light processing—have enabled precise control over pore size, orientation and hierarchical organisation, allowing constructs to be tailored to specific clinical indications, from dental implants to large segmental defects. Contemporary research emphasises the need to match scaffold stiffness to host bone, promote surface bioactivity for apatite formation, and achieve graded porosity for simultaneous load bearing and biological performance. Such developments hold promise for addressing rising global demands in orthopaedic repair, trauma surgery and osteoporotic fracture management.
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Porous Ceramic Scaffolds in Bone Tissue Engineering publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in porous ceramic scaffolds in bone tissue engineering across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Porosity: The proportion of void volume within a scaffold, expressed as a percentage of total volume, affecting fluid transport and cell infiltration.
Interconnectivity: The degree to which pores are linked throughout a scaffold, critical for continuous vascular and tissue ingrowth.
Osteoconductivity: The material property that enables a scaffold to support the attachment, proliferation and migration of osteogenic cells.
Bioceramic: A ceramic material engineered for compatibility with biological tissues, often employed to replace or augment bone.
Additive manufacturing: A suite of layer-by-layer fabrication techniques, including 3D printing, that permit precise control of scaffold architecture.
References
- Porous Calcium Phosphate Ceramic Scaffolds with Tailored Pore Orientations and Mechanical Properties Using Lithography-Based Ceramic 3D Printing Technique. Materials (2018).
- Digital Light Processing of Freeze-cast Ceramic Layers for Macroporous Calcium Phosphate Scaffolds with Tailored Microporous Frameworks. Materials (2019).
- Coextrusion-Based 3D Plotting of Ceramic Pastes for Porous Calcium Phosphate Scaffolds Comprised of Hollow Filaments. Materials (2018).
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