Mechanical improvement of chitosan–gelatin scaffolds reinforced by β-tricalcium phosphate bioceramic

This study aimed to fabricate and evaluate the properties of a chitosan–gelatin scaffold reinforced by beta-tricalcium phosphate (βTCP) powder derived from limestone as a composite scaffold for application in bone tissue engineering. Preparation of βTCP powder involved obtaining calcium hydroxide from limestone and mixing it with phosphate solution through wet precipitation and calcination. To fabricate the scaffold, chitosan was dissolved in acetic acid solution and mixed with gelatin-in-water solution. βTCP powder was then added to the mixture and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The slurry was dispensed into a mold and then freeze-dried. Dried chitosan–gelatin–βTCP scaffolds were then characterized. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) results showed that chitosan–gelatin scaffolds incorporated with βTCP displayed the phase composition corresponding to the βTCP reference. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy results showed increasing intensity of amide I and amide II at a lower βTCP amount because of the increasing amount of chitosan and gelatin where amide I and amide II groups were a characteristic of both materials. A porous structure was present in all scaffolds, as shown by scanning electron microscopy observation. The pore size as well as porosity (85.76% ± 0.77%) decreased with increased βTCP amount up to 70%, affecting the compressive strength of the scaffolds, with the highest value up to 3.27 ± 0.29 MPa. In conclusion, porous scaffolds suitable for bone tissue engineering applications were fabricated using a combination of limestone-derived βTCP powder, chitosan, and gelatin.