3D poly-ε-caprolactone/graphene porous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Three-dimensional biomedical scaffolds of porous biodegradable materials have been widely applied in tissue engineering for the purposes of bone repair and regeneration. In this study, porous biomedical scaffolds were fabricated by a solvent-casting/particulate-leaching method using poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) as the matrix material, graphene platelets as the added material, and salt (NaCl) as the porogen material. First, the mechanical properties (compressive strength) and physical properties (porosity and contact angle) of the fabricated porous scaffolds were examined. Subsequently, weight loss and variations in pH values of the PCL/graphene scaffolds in a degradation test were determined. The biocompatibility of the fabricated PCL/graphene scaffolds was determined by seeding osteoblast-like (MG-63) cells in vitro. Graphene improved the mechanical properties of the 3D porous scaffold, and it changed the hydrophobic property of the surface of the 3D porous scaffold to a hydrophilic property. Cell attachment and proliferation improved with a higher ratio of graphene in the 3D porous scaffold (PCL/graphene).