A synchrotron radiation microtomography study of wettability and swelling of nanocomposite Alginate/Hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Wettability and swelling properties play an important role in a tissue engineering scaffold. An effective methodology for the characterization of these aspects is here presented and applied to nanocomposite Alginate/Hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The methodology exploits synchrotron radiation computed microtomography and image analysis. Wet conditions with both water and simulated body fluid (SBF) were applied to the synthesized 3D constructs and the structure alterations were investigated after 21 days and 60 days of embedding. A quantitative analysis of wettability and swelling behavior through time is also presented and discussed.