Document Type : Full Research Paper
Authors
1 B.Sc. Student, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Successful cell culture in large scale 3D scaffolds in tissue engineering is still challenging and requires full control over physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the applied scaffolds. Recently, using printers for the fabrication of 3D scaffold with a structural arrangement of fibers has been extensively developed, because it is possible to define the structure of scaffold geometry before manufacturing. The aim of this study was the investigation of the effective geometrical parameters on the 3D symmetric porous scaffold from the mass and momentum transport phenomena point of view. In this way, the mass and momentum transfer equations were solved using COMSOL Multiphysics software. In 3D scaffolds, the optimum model is the one that can provide a more appropriate environment for the cultured cells leading an increase in the attached cell number. The oxygen concentration reaching the bone cells should be greater than 0.02 mol/m3 in order to prevent cell death. Moreover, the fluid shear stress regime must be such that (between 10-5 to 10-3 Pa) it could not cause cell detachment. After studying the results of the simulation and changing the different parameters such as fiber diameter, fiber distance and the width of the channels, the appropriate structure was obtained regarding maximum shear stress and minimum oxygen concentration, and then the effect of fluid flow rate on maximum shear stress was examined for the appropriate structure. The optimized model with a fiber diameter of 0.25 mm, a fiber distance of 0.25 mm, and a channel width of 0.25 mm was proposed that fluid flow inlet velocity was 5×10-5 m/s.
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