Development of porous Ti6Al4V/chitosan sponge composite scaffold for orthopedic applications.

A novel composite scaffold consisting of porous Ti6Al4V part filled with chitosan sponge was fabricated using a combination of electron beam melting and freeze-drying. The mechanical properties of porous Ti6Al4V part were examined via compressive test. The ultimate compressive strength was 85.35 ± 8.68 MPa and the compressive modulus was 2.26 ± 0.42 GPa. The microstructure of composite scaffold was characterized using scanning electron microscopy. The chitosan sponge filled in Ti6Al4V part exhibited highly porous and well-interconnected micro-pore architecture. The osteoblastic cells were seeded on scaffolds to test their seeding efficiency and biocompatibility. Significantly higher cell seeding efficiency was found on composite scaffold. The biological response of osteoblasts on composite scaffolds was superior in terms of improved cell attachment, higher proliferation, and well-spread morphology in relation to porous Ti6Al4V part. These results suggest that the Ti6Al4V/chitosan composite scaffold is potentially useful as a biomedical scaffold for orthopedic applications.