Influence of pore size on tensile strength, permeability and porosity of hyaluronan-collagen scaffolds

Recent investigations have shown the importance of scaffold pore size on the realisation of tissue engineered cartilage which promotes cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of pore size on the mechanical properties, the permeability and the porosity of hyaluronan-collagen scaffolds. Hyaluronan-collagen scaffolds with three different mean pore sizes (302.5, 402.5 and 525 microm) have been produced according to a standardised protocol. The maximum stress at rupture, the Young's Moduli, permeability and porosity of the scaffolds were investigated. The permeability was determined both empirically and mathematically. Increased pore sizes indicated a larger stress at rupture as well as increased Young's Moduli. Porosity and permeability were raised by increasing pore sizes. The mathematically calculated permeability showed the same trend. The results indicate a higher mechanical stability for scaffolds with larger pores. The experimental and mathematical experiments both show increased permeability and fluid mobility for larger pores in scaffolds. Morphological changes resulting from the alteration of pore size led to non-correlation between the calculated and the experimental permeability.     

Synthesis of tailored porous alumina with a bimodal pore size distribution

Hierarchical channel or well-connected small and large pore networks show multiple advantages for application in catalysis or adsorbent in aqueous condition. Micro- and mesopores provide size or shape selectivity for a guest molecule, while additional macropores reduce transport limitations. In this study, we proposed a novel method to prepare bimodal porous aluminas, which have meso- and macropores with narrow pore size distribution and well defined pore channels. The framework of the porous alumina is prepared via a chemical templating method using alkyl carboxylates. Polystyrene (PS) beads are employed as a physical template for macropores. We examined polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA)-treated aluminas as organic adsorbent in aqueous solution. Above 90% of the anionic dye (acid red 44) is removed within 10 min, and the adsorption rate of PDDA/P4 (supported on the bimodal porous alumina) is faster than that of PDDA/P2 (supported on the unimodal porous alumina) because macropore of P4 have reduced transport limitation and enhanced the accessibility to the active site of cationic charge.     

离心成型结合模板法制备孔径均匀的多孔氧化铝陶瓷

将等直径的发泡聚苯乙烯(EPS)小球排列成有序的模板,通过在模板内离心成型制备孔径均匀的多孔氧化铝陶瓷.研究了多孔陶瓷孔结构的调整方法,分析了离心参数对孔壁生坯密度的影响,借助了TG-DTG曲线确定了焙烧工艺,用扫描电镜表征了最终产物的显微结构.结果表明,多孔陶瓷的孔结构可以通过改变小球的直径和所承受的附加载荷来调整.当氧化铝浆料的固相含量超过50%(体积分数),离心成型的物质分离现象被抑制,孔壁具有较高的生坯密度63.4%和烧结密度98.8%,当烧结产物的孔隙率从75.6%增加到83.2%,压缩强度由3.2MPa降到1.78MPa.     

Fabrication of titanium scaffolds with porosity and pore size gradients by sequential freeze casting

This paper reports a novel method for producing porous Ti scaffolds with a gradient in porosity and pore size using the freeze casting method, in which TiH₂/camphene slurries with various TiH₂ contents (40, 25, and 10 vol.%) were cast sequentially into a mold, followed by freeze drying and heat-treatment in a vacuum at 1300 °C for 3 h. This simple sequential freeze casting method produced good bonding between the layers with different porosities of 35, 53, and 75 vol.% obtained using the TiH₂ contents of 40, 25 and 10 vol.%, respectively. In addition, the pore size could be increased significantly by increasing the freezing time. The pore sizes obtained in the regions produced using 40, 25, and 10 vol.% TiH₂ after freezing for 7 days were 96, 166, and 270 μm, respectively.     

Biomimetic apatite coating on biomorphous alumina scaffolds

Highly porous Al₂O₃ scaffolds were prepared from natural cellulosic sponges via pyrolysis and Al-vapour phase infiltration. Subsequent oxidation and sintering in air resulted in porous Al₂O₃ ceramics with an open cellular morphology and a total porosity of 95%. The Al₂O₃-sponges were immersed in highly supersaturated simulated body fluid (5 × SBF) solutions with different Mg²⁺ and HCO³⁻ concentrations. After soaking of the porous Al₂O₃ sponges for 4 days a homogeneous calcium phosphate layer with a thickness of approximately 2 μm and a Ca : P ratio of 1.62 (apatite) was found.     

Processing and characterization of porous alumina scaffolds

Bioceramic materials are used for the reconstruction or replacement of the damaged parts of the human body. In this study an improved procedure is described for producing ceramic scaffolds with controlled porosity. Bioinert alumina ceramic was used to make porous scaffolds by using indirect fused deposition modeling (FDM), a commercially available rapid prototyping (RP) technique. Porous alumina samples were coated with hydroxyapatite (HAp) to increase the biocompatibility of the scaffolds. Initial biological responses of the porous alumina scaffolds were assessed in vitro using rat pituitary tumor cells (PR1). Both porous alumina and HAp coated alumina ceramics provided favorable sites for cell attachments in a physiological solution at 37 °C, which suggests that these materials would promote good bonding while used as bone implants in vivo. Based on these preliminary studies, similar tests were performed with human osteosarcoma cells. Cell proliferation studies show that both the ceramic materials can potentially provide a non-toxic surface for bone bonding when implanted in vivo.     

粒径分布对氧化铝多孔支撑体孔结构的影响

采用中位粒径(D50)分别为(20±2)μm、(15±2)μm、(10±2)μm的α-Al2O3粉体为原料,通过调整其粒径分布,考察了粒径分布参数δ的变化对片状支撑体孔结构的影响.研究表明,在本研究的三种中位粒径(D50)下,当δ＜4.0时,随δ值的增大,支撑体的孔隙率由40%下降到30%左右;当δ＞4.0以后,支撑体的孔隙率基本稳定在28%.对于采用中位粒径分别为(20±2)μm和(15±2)μm的原料制备的支撑体,当δ＜3.0时,随δ值的增大,支撑体的平均孔径分别从3.5μm减小到1.1μm,从2.0μm减小到1.3μm;而对D50为(10±2)μm的原料制备的支撑体,δ在1.5～8.0范围内变化时,支撑体的平均孔径基本稳定在0.8μm.采用中位粒径D50为(20±2)μm、(15±2)μm、(10±2)μm的三种原料制备的支撑体,随δ值的增大,其孔径分布变窄,最可几分布峰高变高,分布向小孔径方向移动.     

MCM-41 deposition on alumina ceramic foams

Alumina-based macro-porous ceramic foams were successfully coated with MCM-41 meso-porous materials using an in-situ one step hydrothermal synthesis. Low H₂O/NaOH ratio in the starting mixture leads to a not uniform deposition of the meso-porous materials. Using higher H₂O/NaOH ratio and two cycles of deposition, a CF with a continuous and thick layer of well-ordered MCM-41 material coating was produced.     

Post-processing of polymer foam tissue scaffolds with high power ultrasound: A route to increased pore interconnectivity,pore size and fluid transport

The aim of this work is to demonstrate that the structural and fluidic properties of polymer foam tissue scaffolds, post-fabrication but prior to the introduction of cells, can be engineered via exposure to high power ultrasound. Our analysis is supported by measurements of fluid uptake during insonification and imaging of the scaffold microstructure via X-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy and acoustic microscopy. The ultrasonic treatment is performed with a frequency of 30 kHz, average intensities up to 80,000 Wm^? 2 and exposure times up to 20 h. The treatment is found to increase the mean pore size by over 10%. More striking is the improvement in fluid uptake: for scaffolds with only 40% water uptake via standard immersion techniques, we can routinely achieve full saturation of the scaffold over approximately one hour of exposure. These desirable modifications occur with negligible loss of scaffold integrity and mass, and are optimized when the ultrasound treatment is coupled to a pre-wetting stage with ethanol. Our findings suggest that high power ultrasound is highly targeted towards flow obstructions in the scaffold architecture, thereby providing an efficient means to promote pore interconnectivity and fluid transport in thick foam tissue scaffolds.     

Wicking technique combined with electrical resistance measurements for determination of pore size in ceramic membranes

An easy, fast and inexpensive method to determine the mean pore size of a microfiltration ceramic membrane is offered by the wicking technique combined with electrical resistance measurements. Mean pore size is derived from the measured rates of capillary rise of different liquids of known surface tension through the ceramic membrane, via the Washburn equation. We used low-energy liquids for which the contact angle θ ≈ 0, such as hydrocarbons, and we determined the tortuosity of the membrane pores from electrical resistance measurements so that the mean pore radius was the only unknown in the Washburn equation. The mean pore diameter of the ceramic membrane was also determined from Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) for comparison. It was found to be in very good agreement with that afforded by the wicking technique. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

微晶氧化铝陶瓷管壳的可塑成型研究

研究了坯体含水量、介质的pH值及甲基纤维素含量对氧化铝陶瓷管壳坯料可塑性的影响,揭示塑化剂增塑的机理,摸索采用可塑成型工艺成型氧化铝陶瓷管壳生坯.以亚微米氧化铝超微粉为原料,采用挤出成型工艺成型坯体,在MgO-Al2O3-SiO2体系和CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2两个体系中分别制备了氧化铝含量为97.59%和95.84%的微晶氧化铝陶瓷管壳.所制备陶瓷管壳的性能优良,晶粒细小均匀,97和95瓷管壳的晶粒平均粒径分别为6μm和4μm,体积密度分别为3.714 g.cm-3和3.831 g.cm-3.95瓷管壳的抗弯强度为320MPa,主晶相为刚玉,次晶相为钙长石和镁铝尖晶石.     

孔隙分布不均匀性对陶瓷材料强度的影响

由于工艺特殊性,一些陶瓷材料中不可避免地存在孔隙、夹杂等缺陷,且孔隙、夹杂大多分布不均匀,而这种不均匀性对陶瓷材料力学性能有较大影响.根据分布不均匀性特点,以陶瓷材料中孔隙分布为例,定义了均匀度对孔隙分布的不均匀性进行量化,提出了利用图像处理确定均匀度的方法.根据图像处理结果,将材料分为富含孔隙的等效基体相和不含孔隙的等效颗粒相,利用相互作用直推估计(IDD)法研究了材料强度随均匀度的变化关系.结果表明:孔隙分布均匀度对材料强度有较大影响,孔隙分布的均匀度越小,材料强度越低,并且在均匀度低于0.2时造成强度的剧烈降低,当均匀度大于0.5时,对材料强度的影响很小.     

A comparative study on thermally sprayed alumina based ceramic coatings

Aluminium oxide is relatively cheap material, abundant almosteverywhere and therefore it is widely used for thermal sprayapplications. Various alumina based powder containing 13 wt. Titania, two different 40 wt.% Zirconia and three differentcompositions of alumina-zirconia-chromia were deposited byatmospheric plasma spraying (APS) and high power plasma spraying(HPPS). The coatings obtained were evaluated by optical microscopy,microhardness measurements, X-ray diffraction and porositymeasurements. Moreover, abrasion and friction wear resistance wereevaluated by using Pin-on-Disc machine. Microhardness values of APScoatings are relatively high as compared to HPPS coatings except inalumina-zirconia-chromia coatings. HPPS have higher hardness values.APS coatings are much coarser and show higher porosity values thanHPPS coatings. The best wear/friction behaviour exhibited coatingAl₂O₃-40 wt.% ZrO₂ that deposited from agglomerated andsintered powder type.     

Insight into the effects of pore size and distribution on mechanical properties of austenite stainless steels

While conventional Gibson–Ashby models provide a general insight into how elastic modulus and yield strength degrade with increasing overall porosity in materials, very limited work has investigated the effects of pore size and distribution on the mechanical properties of metals. One key question is whether and how pores can be utilized for improved mechanical properties rather than being eliminated or minimized for full densification. To fill in this gap, austenitic stainless steel 316L samples with intentional pores of varying diameters and distributions were fabricated by spark plasma sintering using starting powders with different morphologies. Characterization of pore features was not limited to the total volume percentage but also addressed the pore size, shape, interpore spacing, and pore surface area. The mechanical properties of those samples were investigated at multiple length scales to investigate the effect of pore characteristics, including macro-scale compression testing, Vickers micro-indentation, nanoindentation, and nanoscratch. Results suggested incorporating submicron pores improved both the yield strength and strength to weight ratio. The sample containing submicron pores represented an outlier in the classical Hall–Petch relation between yield strength and grain size, and it achieved a yield strength of 482 MPa, compressive strength of?~?1.4GPa at a strain of 0.3 without fracture, and a specific yield strength of 67.7 MPa cm³/g. The mechanism was attributed to local stiffening and (Cr, Mn)-rich precipitates surrounding the submicron pores. It was discovered, for the first time, the specific yield strength and the pore diameter followed a Hall–Petch type correlation.

Graphical abstract

     

Pore morphology in cryochemically prepared alumina powders and their sulphate precursors

Cryochemically prepared alumina and yttria-doped alumina powders and their sulphate precursors were examined in the SEM and TEM. The TEM examination revealed a typical chained agglomerate structure with subnamometre-sized porosity within the agglomerates and micrometre-sized porosity between the agglomerates. The SEM examination showed that the sulphate solutions had separated into water channels and immiscible hydrates upon freezing. The water channels had ovulated and spheroidized as they were freezing. This morphology was maintained through vacuum drying and calcining.     

Effect of pore size on the calculated pressure at biological cells pore wall

A transient nonlinear finite-element program has been used to calculate the electric field distribution as a function of time for a spherical cell with a pore in a conducting medium during application of a subnanosecond rise time “step” wave, including the effects of dipolar saturation in the water-based cytoplasm and cell medium. The time-dependent pressure on the pore wall has been computed as a function of time as the system polarizes from the change of the energy in the electric field to the left (inside the pore) and to the right (inside the membrane) of the pore wall. The computations suggest that dipolar saturation, while significant, has little effect on the time-dependent electric field distribution but a substantial effect on the field-induced pore wall pressure. Also, the effect of pore size on both the computed electric field and field-induced pressure was studied. As the pore size increases, a collapse in both the electric field and field-induced pressure has been noticed. This suggests that as the pore size increases, the driving force for further opening the pore is not electrical.     

高纯氧化铝陶瓷材料真空出气性能测试

通过一系列实验测试了致密型高纯氧化铝陶瓷(99瓷)的出气速率．考察了材质、不同预处理方法等因素对其出气性能的影响，并分析了不同温度下出气的主要成分及分压强。