Polymer scaffolds with interconnected spherical pores and controlled architecture for tissue engineering: Fabrication, mechanical properties, and finite element modeling

A method is proposed in which the geometric properties of 3D scaffolds with application in tissue engineering can be tailored: porosity, pore size, and interconnection throat size. The architecture of the fabricated scaffolds is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties of these structures are discussed on the basis of compression stress-strain measurements. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the scaffolds are estimated by means of finite element modeling (FEM) in which the compression stress-strain test is simulated on an ideal structure based on the crystalline face centered cubic system. The elastic properties of the constructs are explained on the basis of the FEM model that supports the main mechanical conclusion of the experimental results: the compressive modulus in the first linear region does not depend on the geometric characteristics of the pore (pore size, interconnection throat size) but only on the total porosity of the scaffold.