Facile fabrication of near-infrared light-responsive shape memory nanocomposite scaffolds with hierarchical porous structures

In this work, the near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive shape memory scaffolds with hierarchical porous structures are designed and facilely formed by freeze drying of 3D printed viscous gel-like pickering emulsions, which are stabilized by hydrophobically modified graphene oxide (g-GO) and silica nanoparticles, and contain thermo-responsive poly(d , l -lactic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate) (PLMC) in the oil phase. The prepared scaffolds display an interconnected filament structure with hierarchical pores and high porosity. The incorporation of g-GO nanoparticles into PLMC matrix prompts that the scaffold shape memory can be triggered by NIR light with fast shape recovery. Moreover, the in vitro mineralization experiment shows that the scaffolds have biological activity, and the drug release study demonstrates that the scaffolds can be used as drug carriers with efficient drug release capacity. Furthermore, cell culture assays based on mouse bone mesenchymal stem cells exhibit that the scaffolds own good cytocompatibility. Therefore, the facile preparation and remote activation of the shape memory nanocomposite scaffolds with hierarchical porous structure and multifunctionality represents a highly attractive candidate as minimally invasive implantation scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications.