Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

Biodegradable 3D-printed polycaprolactone scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications have been extensively studied as they can provide an attractive porous architecture mimicking natural bone, with tunable physical and mechanical properties enhancing positive cellular response. The main drawbacks of polycaprolactone-based scaffolds, limiting their applications in tissue engineering are: their hydrophobic nature, low bioactivity and poor mechanical properties compared to native bone tissue. To overcome these issues, the surface of scaffolds is usually modified and covered with a ceramic layer. However, a detailed description of the adhesion forces of ceramic particles to the polymer surface of the scaffolds is still lacking. Our present work is focused on obtaining PCL-based composite scaffolds to strengthen the architecture of the final product. In this manuscript, we report qualitative and quantitative evaluation of low temperature plasma modification followed by detailed studies of the adhesion forces between chemically attached ceramic layer and the surface of polycaprolactone-nanohydroxyapatite composite 3D-printed scaffolds. The results suggest modification-dependent alteration of the internal structure and morphology, as well as mechanical and physical scaffold properties recorded with atomic force microscopy. Moreover, changes in the material surface were followed by enhanced adhesion forces binding the ceramic layer to polymer-based scaffolds.

surface modification, low temperature plasma, atomic force microscopy, bone tissue engineering