Mechanical properties and sustained drug release behavior of selective laser melted Ti6Al4V scaffolds modified using gentamicin loaded chitosan

Ti6Al4V scaffolds were successfully fabricated using selective laser melting followed by vacuum impregnation of gentamicin loaded chitosan. Microstructural observation revealed that Ti6Al4V scaffolds display primary columnar β grains, in which a hierarchical structure of acicular α′ martensites of varying sizes was observed. Compressive tests indicated that a scaffold with 59% porosity exhibited a compressive yield strength of ~ 236 MPa and a failure strain of ~ 30.4%. The drug release behavior of the gentamicin-loaded scaffolds was characterized by an initial burst release of gentamicin lasting up to 184 h, followed by a slower, sustained release over the subsequent period up to 496 h. This research is expected to open up a new avenue for the development of gentamicin-loaded Ti6Al4V scaffolds for practical clinical applications.