Porous Titanium Scaffolds Fabricated by Metal Injection Moulding for Biomedical Applications

Biocompatible titanium scaffolds with up to 40% interconnected porosity were manufactured through the metal injection moulding process and the space holder technique. The mechanical properties of the manufactured scaffold showed a high level of compatibility with those of the cortical human bone. Sintering at 1250 degrees C produced scaffolds with 36% porosity and more than 90% interconnected pores, a compressive yield stress of 220 MPa and a Young's modulus of 7.80 GPa, all suitable for bone tissue engineering. Increasing the sintering temperature to 1300 degrees C increased the Young's modulus to 22.0 GPa due to reduced porosity, while reducing the sintering temperature to 1150 degrees C lowered the yield stress to 120 MPa, indicative of insufficient sintering. Electrochemical studies revealed that samples sintered at 1150 degrees C have a higher corrosion rate compared with those at a sintering temperature of 1250 degrees C. Overall, it was concluded that sintering at 1250 degrees C yielded the most desirable results.