Facile synthesis, characterization, and in vitro biocompatibility of free-standing titania hollow microtubes

Titania nanotube (NT) arrays have been widely used as cell-supporting matrices. However, cells are always seeded on the porous surface of the NT array and have very limited interactions with each individual NT in the array. In this study, titania hollow microtubes (HMTs) were synthesized via a gelatin-template sol-gel route and then utilized as free-standing cell-supporting matrices for the first time. The resultant titania HMTs were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersed spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Each HMT was composed of rutile-type titania nanoparticles with diameters of 50–100 nm and a diameter of 50–100 µm. The results from a leaching liquor assay demonstrated good biocompatibility of titania HMTs. Each HMT has been demonstrated to independently support the adhesion and proliferation of osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. For comparison, titania NT arrays, not independent titania NT, only supported the adhesion of cells on their porous surface. Thus, the resultant titania HMTs are applicable to free-standing and biocompatible cell-supporting matrices.