Porous Titanium Scaffolds with Aligned Lamellar Pore Channels by Directional Freeze-Casting from Aqueous TiH2 Slurries

Porous titanium scaffolds with aligned lamellar pore channels and smooth inner walls were fabricated by directional freeze casting using aqueous TiH2 slurries. The formation of dendrites was inhibited by increasing the TiH2 content in slurry. The pore structures and compression strengths of porous titanium scaffolds that were made with different solid contents were characterized. The formation mechanism of aligned lamellar pore channels and the reason for the improvement of compression strength were analyzed. With increasing TiH2 content in slurry, the open porosity reduced from 38.57 to 29.03% while lamellar spacing decreased. Young’s modulus was decreased with the increasing open porosity. Directional lamellar pore channels were obtained by controlling the TiH2 content in slurry, which can reduce the number of branches and prevent stress concentrations during compression. Also, the porous titanium scaffolds prepared by this process had a good biocompatibility with osteoblasts.