In this study, we fabricated a novel micro porous hybrid scaffold of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) and a polylectrolyte complex (PEC) of chitosan (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA). The fabrication process included loading of CS-HA PEC in a bare BCP scaffold followed by lypophilization. SEM observation and porosimetry revealed that the scaffold was full of micro and macro pores with total porosity of more than 60 % and pore size in the range of 20~200μm. The composite scaffold was mechanically stronger than the bare BCP scaffold and was significantly stronger than the CS-HA PEC polymer scaffold. Bone morphogenetic growth factor (BMP-2) was immobilized in CS-HA PEC in order to integrate the osteoinductive potentiality required for osteogenesis. The BCP frame, prepared by sponge replica, worked as a physical barrier that prolonged the BMP-2 release significantly. The preliminary biocompatibility data show improved biological performance of the BMP-2 immobilized hybrid scaffold in the presence of rabbit bone marrow stem cells (rBMSC).

This paper investigates the effect of prolonged high temperature exposure on concentric laminated Al2O3-ZrO2 composites. An ultrafine scale microstructure with a cellular 7 layer concentric lamination with unidirectional alignment was fabricated by a multi-pass extrusion method. Each laminate in the microstructure was 2-3μm thick. An alternate lamina was composed of 75%Al2O3-(25%m-ZrO2) and t-ZrO2 ceramics. The composite was sintered at 1500˚C and subjected to 1450˚C temperature for 24 hours to 72 hours. We investigated the effect of long time high temperature exposure on the generation of residual stress and grain growth and their effect on the overall stability of the composites. The residual stress development and its subsequent effect on the microstructure with the edge cracking behavior mechanism were investigated. The residual stress in the concentric laminated microstructure causes extensive micro cracks in the t-ZrO2 layer, despite the very thin laminate thickness. The material properties like Vickers hardness and fracture toughness were measured and evaluated along with the microstructure of the composites with prolonged high temperature exposure.

In this study, hydroxyapatite (HAp) was incorporated into toothpaste and its effect on the remineralization and restoration of dental enamel was evaluated. Different sets of toothpaste were incorporated with HAp levels of 0%, 5%, 10 %, and 15 %. The filler particles of the resulting toothpaste samples were observed via SEM and XRD and compared with compositions of several commercially available toothpastes, showing that the HAp was successfully incorporated into the toothpaste samples. Different sets of human enamel were inflicted with lesions and then treated with the different fabricated toothpaste samples for five minutes three times a day for seven days. During the treatment, the teeth were subjected to demineralization and remineralization cycles to simulate the effect of natural saliva. The surface of the enamel samples were observed using SEM before and after one week of treatment, showing the formation of HAp layers on the surfaces of the enamel samples. The effect of the toothpaste on the lesions was observed using an inverted light microscope and the lesion depth was found to decrease as the concentration of HAp in the toothpaste used increased. HAp was successfully incorporated in the toothpaste and its presence was found to lessen lesion depths and improve tooth remineralization.