Directional and temporal variation of the mechanical properties of robocast scaffold during resorption.

This paper addresses the mechanical behavior of robocast PCL-Bioglass(®) scaffolds. These structures can be used as 3rd generation implants in tissue engineering to support the regrowth of damaged tissue, in particular bone. After successful tissue regeneration the scaffolds slowly dissolve leaving no foreign material permanently inside the body. However, to avoid mechanical separation from surrounding tissue they must exhibit similar mechanical properties. The present study introduces a detailed numerical study focusing on the determination of effective mechanical material properties, their anisotropy, and mechanical degradation due to scaffold resorption. In order to accurately capture the complex scaffold geometry, micro-computed tomography scans of actual samples are conducted. The resulting three-dimensional data are directly converted into finite element calculation models. Numerical compressive tests of these unmodified models are repeated for three perpendicular directions to investigate mechanical anisotropy, after which the effect of scaffold degradation due to exposure to body fluid is simulated. To this end, two different resorption models, namely surface erosion and bulk degradation, are applied to the micro-computed tomography data. The modified geometry data are then converted into calculation models and numerical compression tests then allow the prediction of the mechanical properties of partially resorbed scaffolds.