Reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) foams have shown favorable biocompatibility and the potential to support osteoblastic adhesion. In this work, RVC foams were fabricated via template route, using a low-cost sucrose-based resin. The effect of several process parameters, such as template porosity (cell size between 500 and 1400 µm) and carbonization conditions, were studied. The resulting RVC foams displayed highly interconnected porosity (> 85%) with controllable cell size, bone-like morphology, and compressive strength of 0.06–0.26 MPa. The results suggested that the decrease in the cell size of the sacrificial sponge, the increase in the thickness of the sponge cell ligaments, and the carbonization temperature of 1500 °C, contributed to the enhancement of the mechanical response of the fabricated scaffolds. Finally, cytotoxicity and cell adhesion assays were carried out using normal human osteoblasts as a preliminary assessment of the cytocompatibility of the synthesized RVC foams. Although the mechanical strength of these foams could still be improved, these results contribute towards the development of low-cost bioactive scaffolds that resemble the morphological properties of the trabecular bone.

网状玻璃碳（RVC）泡沫显示出良好的生物相容性，并具有支持成骨细胞粘附的潜力。在这项工作中，RVC泡沫是通过模板路线，使用低成本的蔗糖基树脂。研究了几种工艺参数的影响，例如模板的孔隙率（孔尺寸在500至1400 µm之间）和碳化条件。所得的RVC泡沫显示出高度互连的孔隙率（> 85％），且孔大小可控，呈类骨形，抗压强度为0.06-0.26 MPa。结果表明，牺牲海绵的泡孔尺寸的减小，海绵泡孔韧带的厚度的增加以及碳化温度为1500°C，有助于增强制成的支架的机械响应。最后，使用正常人成骨细胞进行细胞毒性和细胞粘附测定，作为对合成RVC泡沫的细胞相容性的初步评估。