An Osteogenic Porous Silica‐Incorporated Fibrous Composite for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications: Fabrication, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation

Abstract

This study focuses on fabricating SiO 2 ‐incorporated PVA/PVP/SF fiber composite, which holds significant potential for BTE applications due to its integrated bioactivity, biocompatibility, and porosity. SiO 2 was synthesized through the sol–gel route, and the fibrous scaffold via electrospinning. X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform ‐ infrared (FT‐IR) and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) confirmed the structural and morphological characteristics of the scaffolds. The porosity reached 99% within 48 h, ensuring good cell attachment and proliferation. Scaffolds showed an adequate hydrophilicity and a tensile strength of 8.75 MPa, with 80.2% elongation at break. The antibacterial activity of SiO 2 against Escherichia coli (13 ± 0.51 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (11.8 ± 0.75 mm) was significantly improved in fibrous composites with the highest inhibition zones of 30.3 ± 1.03 and 28.0 ± 0.96 mm, respectively. Good hemocompatibility, cytocompatibility, bioactivity, and calcium mineralization ability, along with an increased ALP activity after 14 days, supported the osteogenic potential of the scaffold in BTE.