Fig 1.
Schematics for the laser-aided gelling process.
(1) a CO2 laser, (2) a laser scanner, (3) a working platform, (4) a scraper and (5) a feeder.
Fig 2.
The compressive strength of specimens of CS0, CS5 and CS9 for different heat treatment temperatures:(a) compressive strength, (b) density, (c) volume expansion and (d) porosity.
Fig 3.
The microstructure of CS0 after heat treatment at various temperatures:(a) 900°C, (b) 1100°C, (c) 1300°C and (d) 1500°C.
Fig 4.
The microstructure of CS5 after heat treatment at various temperatures:(a) 900°C, (b) 1100°C, (c) 1300°C and (d) 1500°C.
Fig 5.
The microstructure of CS9 after heat treatment at various temperatures:(a) 900°C, (b) 1100°C, (c) 1300°C and (d) 1500°C.
Fig 6.
The EDS of CS5 after heat treatment at 1300°C.
Fig 7.
XRD of CS0, CS5 and CS9 after heat treatment at 1300°C.
Fig 8.
A 3D bioceramic part with inter-porous structure and dimensions of Ø 15 × 6.5 mm produced using laser-aided gelling:(a) isometric view, (b) top view and (c) cross section.
Table 1.
A comparison of the materials, methods and features that are used for the fabrication of scaffolds.
Fig 9.
Mammalian cytotoxicity of the CS5 scaffold.
Mammalian cell toxicity (or viability for L-929 cells) of the CaCO3 and SiO2 (5/95 by weight composition) scaffold indicated an appropriate safety level based on the ISO 10993–5 method.
Fig 10.
Osteoblast-like MG-63 cells attach on the CS5 scaffold.
The high affinity of human bone cells indicated that the fabricated biocomposites act as a biomimic of the human bone scaffold. Live color staining and fluorescence graphs of Nuclear/Actin contact analysis are shown in upper panel. (a) unattached scaffold, (b) live cell staining of formazan on scaffold, and (c) fluorescence on scaffold. The live cells on scaffolds were incubated in a tetrazolium dye bath at 37°C for 4 h. Green signals indicate actin, and blue signals indicate the nuclear site of cells. (d). CS5 scaffolds showing a long-term survival period of 1–6 days. Cell numbers corresponding to the OD570 values represented approximately 836 ± 37 cells for each 0.1 OD value by MTT assay, for normalization with cell counting. ** P<0.01 compared to day 1 group.