Piezo-biphasic scaffold based on polycaprolactone containing BaTiO3 and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles using three-dimensional printing for bone regeneration

The present study intends to establish biphasic composite scaffolds containing polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite (PCL/HA) and PCL/barium titanate (PCL/BT) layers with improved mechanical and biological properties by preserving HA and tuning BT contents. The porous piezo-biphasic scaffolds were fabricated, using extrusion three-dimensional printer technology, and on the basis of the scanning electron microscopy results, a relative porosity of 210-250 mu m was created. The presence of BT phase in the biphasic scaffolds was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared analyses. The printed biphasic composites demonstrate suitable mechanical strength compared to one containing only 35% PCL and 65% HA compositions, which had a strength of 2.5 MPa. However, the strength for 80% BT-incorporated biphasic composite was almost 13.5 times higher than that of monolithic specimen. The measured output voltages for the scaffolds after being subjected to an electric field affirmed that adding BT nanoparticles in biphasic composites leads to an increase in the output voltage that was lower compared to the monolithic scaffold. The piezo-biphasic scaffold containing 80% BT is found to possess the highest enhancement in cytocompatibility for MG63 cells with the survival rate of approximately 95%, rendering the PCL/HA-PCL/BT biphasic scaffolds promising candidates for bone regeneration.