2023 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 88-96
Microscopy is a traditional method to estimate the morphology or microstructure of biomaterials. However, the use of stereomicroscopy with transmitted light for the analysis of organic-inorganic composite materials has not been widely explored. In this study, we aimed to verify the usefulness of stereomicroscopy with epi- and trans-illumination and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) using the bone-substitute material, vacuum-heated epigallocatechin-conjugated gelatin sponges containing β-tricalcium phosphate granules, as model material. Compared with FE-SEM, in situ stereomicroscopy with trans-illumination facilitated the easy observation of the β-tricalcium phosphate granule distribution in sponges. Compared with epi-illumination, transmitted-illumination enabled easy detection of the fibrous structure of epigallocatechin-conjugated gelatin at the intergranular spaces and in the pores of β-tricalcium phosphate granules. Our findings suggest that the use of a stereomicroscope with trans-illumination may facilitate the scanning of the microstructure of organic-inorganic composite materials during biomaterial fabrication.
