"Nano, Micro, and Macro Materials in Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications: A Review"

Abstract

Nano, micro, and macro materials for bio-functional scaffolds have garnered more attention in the past few years owing to their ability to mimic the natural environment of the body tissue that needs a repair or replacement accordingly. Although micro structured materials were used in tissue engineering in different forms, the emergence of nanomaterials has enabled the development of nanostructured biomedical scaffolds. The nanostructured scaffolds show enhanced biological functions and properties than micro structured scaffolds. For example, nanostructured scaffolds have a higher surface area, thus allowing better cell adhesion than other conventional materials used in tissue engineering. In addition, the nanomaterials have a significant advantage of mimicking and resembling the natural Extra Cellular Matrix (ECM), which provides better protein absorption, thus stimulating improved tissue engineering. This review presents the different nano, micro, and macro biomaterials employed in developing nanostructured scaffolds and their fabrication techniques. In addition, different types of nanostructured scaffolds used in tissue engineering are elucidated.