Porous Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds fabricated by means of selective laser melting (SLM), having controllable geometrical features and preferable mechanical properties, have been developed as a class of biomaterials that hold promising potential for bone repair. However, the inherent bio-inertness of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy as the matrix of the scaffolds results in a lack in the ability to stimulate bone ingrowth and regeneration. The aim of the present study was to develop a bioactive coating on the struts of SLM Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds in order to add the desired surface osteogenesis ability. Mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) coating was applied on the strut surfaces of the SLM Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds through spin coating, followed by a heat treatment. It was found that the coating could maintain the characteristic mesoporous structure and chemical composition of MBG, and establish good interfacial adhesion to the Ti-6Al-4V substrate. The compressive strength and pore interconnectivity of the scaffolds were not affected by the coating. Moreover, the results obtained from in vitro cell culture experiments demonstrated that the attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) on the MBG-coated Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds were improved as compared with those on the conventional bioactive glass (BG)-coated Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds and bare-metal Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds. Our results demonstrated that the MBG coating by using the spinning coating method could be an effective approach to achieving enhanced surface biofunctionalization for SLM Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds.
Keywords: in vitro bioactivity; mesoporous bioactive glass; scaffold; selective laser melting; spin coating; titanium.