Graded biomimetic osteochondral scaffold prepared via CO2 foaming and micronized NaCl leaching

This study reports for the first time the design and fabrication of an osteochondral biomimetic poly(E-caprolactone) (PCL) and nano-metric hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffold for tissue engineering via CO2 foaming and micronized NaCl particles leaching. The control of the NaCl concentration, in the range from 30 to 80 wt.%, and the foaming temperature, in the range from 25 to 40 degrees C, allowed for the design and fabrication of PCL foams with different combinations of morphology, porosity and mean pore size. Furthermore, by creating concentration gradients of NaCl micro-particles and HA nano-crystals, we fabricated a novel graded biomimetic PCL-HA scaffold with biochemical and biophysical properties suitable for osteochondral tissue engineering.