Pore functionally graded Ti6Al4V scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application

A significant requirement for a bone implant is to let bone cells grow better. However, how to increase the cellular activity of the scaffold at a certain elastic modulus remains unclear. Here, we developed a method to derive the relationship between design parameters, porosity, and mechanical properties of uniform structures for pore functionally graded scaffolds (PFGS) design. PFGS is a combination of different uniform structures by matching design parameters. Ti6Al4V PFGS and uniform structures with sizes of 10 × 10 × 12 mm were designed and fabricated via selective laser melting (SLM). The mechanical properties and cell proliferation of these structures were investigated. Results indicated that the mathematical model of elastic modulus, yield strength and porosity can accurately predict the mechanical properties of structures. For PFGS, cell proliferation rate from day 4 to day 7 was 140%, while for the uniform structures were only 90%. The results demonstrated that PFGS is more suitable for bone tissue implantation.