The evaluation of physical properties and in vitro cell behavior of PHB/PCL/sol-gel derived silica hybrid scaffolds and PHB/PCL/fumed silica composite scaffolds.

PHB/PCL/sol-gel derived silica hybrid scaffolds (P5S1S) and PHB/PCL/fumed silica composite scaffolds (P5S1N) with a 5:1 organic/inorganic ratio were fabricated through a combination of electrospinning and sol-gel methods and dispersion electrospinning, respectively. In contrast to the silica nanoparticle aggregates appearing on the fiber surface of P5S1N, smooth and uniform fibers were obtained for P5S1S. The fiber diameter distribution, tensile strength, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and cellular behavior of both types of scaffolds were characterized and studied. The tensile strength results and TGA indicated that the interfacial interaction between the organic and the inorganic phase was enhanced in P5S1S over the nanocomposite scaffolds, and cells exhibited significantly higher alkaline phosphate activity (ALP) for P5S1S, which makes P5S1S hybrid scaffolds candidate materials for bone tissue engineering applications.