Viability of Osteoblasts On Mesoporous Surfaces

Topography at the nanoscale can lead to dramatic changes in the adhesion of cells to surfaces and their subsequent viability. For biological applications, including tissue engineering and cell-based sensing, the large internal surface area of ordered mesoporous carbons provides an opportunity for enhanced sensitivity and performance, but the mesostructure also affects the topography of the material. In this work, we probe the viability and adhesion of osteoblasts on ordered mesoporous materials with different morphologies and matrix chemistries including silica, polymeric and carbon. The dissolution of the silica into the aqueous media could provide one route for degradation of the scaffold; we show that synthesis of mesoporous silica using supercritical carbon dioxide can act to mediate the dissolution properties. Further, the adsorption characteristics of the porous films also appears to significantly alter the cell viability.