Porous biomaterials for tissue engineering: a review

The field of biomaterials has grown rapidly over the past decades. Within this field, porous biomaterials have played a remarkable role in: (i) enabling the manuface of complex three-dimensional structures; (ii) facilitating interconnected structures for the transport of macromolecules and cells; (iii) recreating mechanical properties close to those of the host tissues; and (iv) behaving as biocompatible inserts, tailored to either interact or not with the host body. This review outlines a brief history of the development of biomaterials, before discussing current materials proposed for use as porous biomaterials, and exploring the state-of-the-art in their manufacture. The wide clinical applications of these materials are extensively discussed, drawing on specific examples of how the porous features of such biomaterials impact their behaviours, as well as the advantages and challenges faced for each class of materials.