Freeze Casting with Bioceramics for Bone Graft Substitutes

Abstract

Freeze casting with bioceramics affords the opportunity to create the next generation of bone graft substitutes. Because of its versatile material fabrication process and effective methods of structural control, freeze casting helps to meet the many criteria that are required of viable bone graft substitute biomaterials. In combination with biocompatible and resorbable ceramics and ceramic composites that can offer bone growth through osteoconduction, this process helps provide a tailored pore structure while maintaining the necessary mechanical properties for bone growth. Here, the advantages of freeze casting with bioceramics for orthopedic and dental applications are summarized: in particular, these advantages include its compatibility with a large variety of bioceramics, many forms of both uniform and localized structure control, and its ability to be used in combination with other advanced manufacturing processes.