Bioglass-fibre reinforced hydroxyapatite composites synthesized using spark plasma sintering for bone tissue engineering

Hydroxyapatite (HA) exhibits several desirable characteristics, but it still lacks osteoinduction, which is a necessary requirement for a bone scaffold. HA-based composites with different amounts of Bioglass® (BG) were prepared using spark plasma sintering (SPS). Careful selection of the SPS parameters avoided undesirable reactions between the calcium phosphate (CaP) and bioglass (BG present in the form of powder and fibres), as confirmed through X-ray diffraction analysis. Scanning electron microscopy images of the composite scaffolds revealed a fibre like appearance of the glassy region. The in vitro bioactivity and biodegradation analyses were performed by immersing the composites in simulated body fluid (SBF) and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris), respectively. The ability to obtain only the CaP phase and glassy phase with desirable bioactive and biodegradation behaviour, indicated that these SPS scaffolds can be employed as bone scaffolds for clinical trials, after further in vivo analyses.