The mechanical properties of monodisperse foam scaffolds

Abstract

Tissue engineering scaffolds provide mechanical supports and microenvironment for cells to grow in the third dimensionality (3D). Inspired by the recent advance to fabricate monodisperse foam scaffold by self-assembly of monodisperse liquid foam created by the microfluidic method, we investigated the mechanical properties of an open-cell solid foam with pores packed in the face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. We first characterized the microstructural geometry of solid foam with different porosities made by the microfluidic technique. We then developed both analytical and finite element method (FEM) models based on the measured geometric features. We computed mechanical parameters such as the elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, and the shear modulus. Finally, we performed mechanical measurements of FCC solid foam fabricated by a 3D printer. All experimental, analytical, and numerical results show good agreement, which validate the FEM models.