Bioactive Carbon Based Hybrid 3D Scaffolds for Osteoblast Growth

Bone, nerve, and heart tissue engineering place high demands on the conductivity of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds. Fibrous carbon-based scaffolds are excellent material candidates to fulfill these requirements. Here, we show that highly porous (up to 94%) hybrid 3D framework structures with hierarchical architecture, consisting of microfiber composites of self-entangled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and bioactive nanoparticles are highly suitable for growing cells. The hybrid 3D structures are fabricated by infiltrating a combination of CNTs and bioactive materials into a porous (∼94%) zinc oxide (ZnO) sacrificial template, followed by the removal of the ZnO backbone via a H2 thermal reduction process. Simultaneously, the bioactive nanoparticles are sintered. In this way, conductive and mechanically stable 3D composites of free-standing CNT-based microfibers and bioactive nanoparticles are formed. The adopted strategy demonstrates great potential for implementing low-dimensional bioactive materials, such as ...