Fabrication and characterization of PCL/TiO2 nanoparticle 3D scaffold

Abstract

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a synthetic biodegradable polymer with excellent mechanical properties. TiO2 (titanium dioxide) has a hydrophilic, high density and excellent biocompatibility. In this work, we produced three-dimensional porous scaffolds with PCL and TiO2 nanoparticles using a salt-leaching method. Physical properties of the scaffolds were analyzed by FE-SEM, FTIR, TGA and compressive strength. Interestingly, the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles decreased the water absorption and swelling ratio of the porous scaffolds. However, the compressive strength was increased by TiO2. CCK-8 assay, which is generally used for the analysis of cell growth, shows that TiO2 nanoparticles have no cytotoxicity. Taken together, we suggest that the PLC/TiO2-scaffold can be used for biomedical applications.