Effects of High volumes of Hydroxyapatite Whiskers on Morphology and Mechanical behavior ofChitosan/Gelatin Scaffolds

In order to reinforce the biopolymer -base scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, the hydroxyapatite whiskers were incorporated into the chitosan and gelatin scaffolds, and the morphology and mechanical behavior of freeze-dried scaffolds were evaluated. The results showed that the chitosan-based scaffolds could better maintain their porous structure and interconnectivity between the pores, compared to the gelatin-based ones, such that high volumes of HA whiskers incorporation into the gelatin scaffolds were led to disrupt the interconnected structure of scaffolds. The scaffolds with a higher amount of chitosan than gelatin content (i.e. scaffolds of 3:1 compared to 1:3 ones) had a more interconnected structure, but a lower pore size. The incorporation up to 75% wt HA whiskers into the scaffolds of chitosan/gelatin with weight ratio of 1:1 shows a high value compressive strength of 13.8 MPa.