Fabrication and characterization of dual-channeled zirconia ceramic scaffold

A novel porous ceramic with a structure containing two three-dimensional (3D) pore channels in a tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (TZP) ceramic was fabricated using a combination of a CNC-machining method and slurry coating process. A graphite scaffold with a single interconnected 3D channel as a template was prepared using CNC machining and lamination. The surfaces of the graphite scaffold were then coated uniformly with the TZP slurry, followed by heat treatment at 900°C for 3 h in air to remove the graphite material completely via thermal oxidation and at 1400°C for 3 h in air to sinter the TZP walls. This process produced a dual-channeled TZP scaffold with an additional 3D channel, which replicated the 3D graphite structure with the pre-existing channel. The fabricated scaffold showed ultra-high porosity (91), high surface area, and high compressive strength (2.04 MPa), as well as a tightly controlled pore structure.