In haemodialysis patients, the risk of bacteremia associated to the use of vascular access is very high; many reports count the use of both tunnelled and not tunnelled catheters as one of the major cause of infections. The use of silver in modern medicine is growing thanks to its strong biocide activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria and fungi and its good degree of biocompatibility. In this study an innovative and patented technology has been used for superficial treatment of polyurethane haemodialysis catheters with silver.

Antibacterial coatings on catheters for acute dialysis were obtained by an innovative and patented silver deposition technique based on the photo-reduction of the silver solution on the surface of catheter, with consequent formation of antibacterial silver nanoparticles. Aim of this work is the structural and morphological characterization of these medical devices in order to analyze the distribution and the size of clusters on the polymeric surface, and to verify the antibacterial capability of the devices treated by this technique against bacterial proliferation. The structure and morphology of the silver nanoparticles were investigated by using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The antimicrobial capability of the catheters after silver deposition was confirmed by antibacterial tests with Escherichia coli. Both scanning electron microscopy analysis and antibacterial tests were performed also after washing catheters for 30 days in deionized water at 37°C, relating these data to thermogravimetric analysis and to energy dispersive spectroscopy, in order to check the resistance of coating and its antimicrobial capability after the maximum time of life of these devices.

In the public transport system, hand-touch surfaces such as seats in buses, trains, trams, and airplanes represent a reservoir of bacteria and a potential risk for contamination among passengers. The antimicrobial activity of silver has been known since ancient times. In this work, natural leather commonly used in the public transport system was treated with silver through the in situ photoreduction of a silver solution. The morphology of the coating and the distribution of silver clusters were studied by scanning electron microscopy and by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The amount of silver on the surface was quantified by thermo-gravimetric analysis. The antibacterial capability of the treated materials was checked against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Taber test was conducted on silver treated samples in order to study the durability of the treatment. The morphology of the silver coating and its antibacterial capability were analyzed also after the Taber test.

Over the last few years different antibacterial technologies have been developed in order to obtain fabrics and fibers with antibacterial capabilities for use in hospital environments. High levels of sanitation are indeed required in order to reduce nosocomial cross-transmission of infections. Silver-coated fibers are particularly appealing for the production of antibacterial textiles, due to the outstanding properties of silver, characterized by a high degree of biocompatibility, an excellent resistance to sterilization conditions, and antibacterial properties with respect to different bacteria, associated with long-term efficiency. In this study an innovative patented low-cost technique to deposit silver on natural and synthetic substrates has been exploited to obtain silver-coated natural fibers (i.e. cotton and flax). Such natural fibers are largely used in the hospitals for the production of sheets, pillowcases and other textile products that should possess high levels of sanitation. The structure and morphology of the silver nanoclusters deposited onto natural fibers was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the coating was quantitatively assessed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Good silver coating stability resulted from several industrial washings performed on the samples. The antimicrobial capabilities of the treated fibers were confirmed by antibacterial tests with Escherichia Coli. Silver-coated natural fibers thus show potential for the development of antibacterial textiles with long-term efficiency that is particularly useful in healthcare settings.

In this work a novel three-dimensional ostechondral substitute is proposed that is made of an inorganic/organic hybrid material, namely collagen/hydroxyapatite. The two components of the substitute have been characterized separately. The inorganic part, a hydroxyapatite scaffold, was fabricated by a polymer sponge templating method using a reactive sub-micron powder synthesized in our laboratory by hydroxide precipitation sol-gel route. The organic part, a collagen scaffold, was fabricated by a freeze-dying technique varying design parameters. Both the parts were analysed by scanning electron microscopy and their mechanical properties assessed by compression tests. The hydroxyapatite scaffold showed a high and highly interconnected porosity and a mechanical strength equal to 0.55 MPa, higher than those reported in literature. The collagen scaffolds were seeded by chondrocytes, processed for histology analysis and tested in compression. The biological tests proved the ability of the scaffolds to be positively populated by chondrocytes and the mechanical analysis showed that the mechanical strength of the scaffolds significantly increased after 3 weeks of culture.

Sintered fused silica is often used for making sacrificial cores in investment castings of Ni superalloys. Their usage is fundamental in the manufacture of precise superalloy gas turbine components with complex internal cooling passages. In this study SiO2/ZrSiO4/TiO2 cores were prepared from fused silica powders with different grain size and zircon and TiO2 content by slip casting method. Green samples were sintered at 1230°C at various soaking time: from 0,5 to 10 hours. Thermomechanical and microstructural properties of optimized silica obtained by add of 1,5%wt of TiO2 to SiO2/ZrSiO4 composition have been investigated by three point bending tests, XRD and Hg porosimetric analysis. The influence of cristobalite content on thermal stability at high temperature was studied by an optical dilatometer. At temperature below 1200°C TiO2 appears to act as a phase transformation inhibitor reducing the transformation rate of fused silica to cristobalite at high temperatures. At higher temperature it speeds up the formation of cristobalite. A comparison with commercial silica cores made by injection moulding has been performed. A prototype core was obtained and an investment casting was performed on that.

In the present work, the melting behaviour of ashes obtained from the combustion of coals from different seams were investigated by a laboratory-scale equipment. The ash melting behaviour was studied by heating the specimens in a tubular furnace under a controlled gas atmosphere, while continuous monitoring the shape transformation by a digital camera. The ash fusibility temperatures (AFT) were determined by using an application which allows the in-line identification of the AFT-related shapes specified in the ASTM D 1857-04. The effect of the furnace gas-atmosphere on the determination of the ash fusion temperatures were studied by performing the measurements under dry-air, SO2-rich-air and humidified air environments. It was found that under dry conditions, AFT determination is significantly affected by slag foaming, leading to an overestimation of the melting temperatures. Low water vapour concentrations does not appreciably change the results obtained under dry air, while SO2-rich atmosphere seems to reduce foaming. As a result, since no volume expansion was observed, samples heated under SO2-air flow, apparently melt at lower temperatures with respect to dry air conditions. The mineral phases transformation of the ashes during the heating process was studied by X-Ray diffraction and it was found that the low temperature transformations are essentially related to Iron and Alkalis reaction with aluminosilicates to form a glassy phase. On the other hand, high temperatures transformations are related to quartz and mullite solubilization which is closely dependent to the amount of Calcium, and therefore of anorthite phase, in the ash sample

Abstract in the attached paper

Surface engineering based on the application of silver nanoparticles is emerging as one of the most promising in the nanotechnology field. The well-known antimicrobial activity of silver is emphasized by the high specific surface which grows inversely to the particle dimensions. In this chapter, various properties and applications of antibacterial silver coating are reviewed. In particular, an innovative deposition technology of silver nanoclusters on various natural and synthetic substrates developed by the authors is described. The deposition of strongly adhered silver nanostructures was obtained by a wet chemical method followed by a UV curing process. A very close view of the microstructure of the silver nanoclusters on the coated substrates has been obtained using advanced diagnostic tools: TEM, SEM, EDX. The strong antimicrobial capabilities of the treated substrates was evidenced with systematic antibacterial tests with Escherichia coli.

ZnO@Ag patchy nanostructures were demonstrated to be efficient and stable photocatalysts for the photodegradation of organic contaminants in aqueous solutions. The photoinduced charge transfer from the conduction band of ZnO toward the Fermi level of the noble metal was favored and exploited to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO, with a mechanism based on hole stabilization. Naked ZnO and ZnO@Ag patchy nanostructures were demonstrated to degrade methylene blue, a model compound, in aqueous solution under 370− 800 nm light irradiation (100 mW cm−2); in particular, the introduction of silver nanoparticles allowed one to increment twice the constant rate of the reaction when fitted as pseudo-first-order kinetics. Furthermore, the degradation of 2,4dichlorophenol under direct sunlight irradiation was studied. The photo-oxidation catalyzed by patchy nanostructures was noticeably increased. In fact, the observed half time (t1/2) was reduced by almost 4 times in comparison with the value observed for bare ZnO.

Limited solar photo-activity and recovering the catalysts after photocatalysis reaction are two major drawbacks of the highly active TiO2 powder materials. In this study we propose that copper phthalocyanine (CuPc, Cu(II) tetrakis[4-(2,4-bis-(1,1-dimethylpropyl)phenoxy)]phthalocyanine), which is an metal-organic dye could be used as sensitizer of TiO2 coating to shift the absorption band toward visible light. TiO2 coating was applied inside the Pyrex glass tubes and used in the photocatalytic decomposition of ethylene gas under solar light irradiation. Two-step draining method was employed to apply the coating on the inner side of the glass tubes. At first pure TiO2 coating was prepared from a solution by dispersing the commercial P25 TiO2 powders in a TiO2 sol made by hydrolysis-condensation of titanium alkoxide. A controlled draining method was employed to coat the inner side of the glass tubes. After calcination at 500 °C, P25 powders were strongly attached on the glass surface as a thick coating. Visible light absorptive coating was prepared by applying a thin layer of CuPc that shows intense absorption in the visible wavelength region utilizing the same coating procedure. CuPc coated TiO2 film showed excellent photo-stability against solar radiation. Greater photo-oxidation rate of ethylene was achieved with the CuPcTiO2 coated glass tube compared to that without CuPc coating due to the enhanced solar light absorption.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) macrochanneled porous scaffolds were produced by polymer sponge templating method using a reactive submicrometer powder synthesized by hydroxide precipitation sol–gel route. The microstructure of the fine HA powder was carefully investigated and developed in order to optimize the mechanical properties and phase stability of sintered scaffold. The templating method ensured a highly interconnected macrochanneled porous structure with over 500 μm mean pore size and 90% porosity. The high reactivity of the powder led to an efficient sintering mechanism with a high and crack-free linear shrinkage (19 ± 2%) and a significant BET specific surface area reduction (from 12 to 0.33 m2/g). The powder does not dissociate into secondary phases during sintering. Despite the extreme porosity, the scaffolds had high mechanical performance (compressive strength ∼0.51 MPa, Weibull modulus 4.15) compared with literature data and with scaffolds similarly prepared from high-quality commercial HA powder.

The present work describes the processing of alumina fiber reinforced alumina ceramic preforms consisting of chopped Al2O3 fibers (33 wt%) and Al2O3 (67 wt%) fine powders by slip casting. The preforms were pre-sintered in air at 1100 °C for 1 h. A lanthanum based glass was infiltrated into these preforms at 1250 °C for 90 min. Linear shrinkage (%) was studied before and after glass infiltration. Pre-sintered and infiltrated specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, porosimetry and flexural strength. The alumina preforms showed a narrow pore size distribution with an average pore size of ∼50 nm. It was observed that introducing Al2O3 fibers into Al2O3 particulate matrix produced warp free preforms with minor shrinkage during pre-sintering and glass infiltration. It was observed that the infiltration process fills up the pores and considerably improves the strength and reliability of alumina preform.

The present study demonstrates an approach for fabricating fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) involving the coating of 2-dimensional woven alumina fibers with zirconia layer by sol gel, followed by impregnation of these coated fibers with alumina matrix and pressureless sintering. To emphasize the benefits of the zirconia coating on these CMCs, a reference sample without interfacial coating layer was prepared. The zirconia-coated CMCs showed superior flexural strength and thermal shock resistance compared with their uncoated counterparts. Foreign object damage tests carried out on the ZrO2 coated CMCs at high impact speed showed localized damage without any shattering.

A highly porous (~90%) interconnected hydroxyapatite/wollastonite (HA/WS) scaffolds were prepared by polymeric sponge replica method using a slurry containing HA:Calcium silicate in the weight ratio of 50:50 and sintered at 1300 oC. The phase purity of the scaffolds were analyzed by using XRD. The pore size, pore structure, microstructure and elemental analysis of the scaffolds before and after SBF soaking were analyzed using SEM and EDS. In-vitro bioactivity and bioresorbability confirmed the feasibility of the developed scaffolds. The HA/WS scaffold shows two fold increase in the compressive strength compared to pure HA scaffold.

Nanocrystalline titania (TiO2) synthesized via sol–gel, by using an alkoxide precursor were deposited onto commercially available silica and alumina fibers, namely E-Glass and Nextel 650, respectively. Different processing conditions and material preparation parameters, such as amount of TiO2, film composition and annealing temperature were tested in order to obtain nanocrystalline TiO2 with different morphological and structural characteristics. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area measurements. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained coated fibers was investigated by monitoring the degradation of a model molecule, an azo dye (Methyl Red), under UV irradiation in aqueous solution. The detected photocatalytic performance of the sol–gel derived nanocrystalline TiO2 was explained on the basis of mechanism associated to the photocatalytic decomposition of organic molecules using semiconductor oxides and accounted for the structural and morphological characteristics of the TiO2 based coating. The materials with the most suited characteristics for photocatalysis were used to scale up the deposition onto a larger sample of fiber and then tested in a photocatalytic reactor. A commercially available TiO2 standard material (TiO2 P25 Degussa) was used as reference, in order to ultimately assess the viability of the coating process for real application.

The application of photocatalytic coatings on stone has been investigated for providing surface protection and self-cleaning properties. Sol-Gel and hydrothermal processes were used to synthesise TiO 2 colloidal suspensions and coatings with enhanced photocatalytic activity without any thermal curing of the coated stone. The stone was a porous limestone (apulian sedimentary carbonatic, calcite stone). Films and powders prepared from TiO 2 sols were studied using X-ray diffraction to evaluate the microstructure and identify rutile and anatase phases. A morphological and physical characterisation was carried out on coated and uncoated stone to establish the changes of appearance, colour, water absorption by capillarity and water vapour permeability. The photocatalytic activity of the coated surface was evaluated under UV irradiation through NO x and organics degradation tests. The performances of the synthesised TiO 2 sols were compared with commercial TiO 2 suspension. Since the coating doesn't need temperature treatments for activating the photocatalytic properties, the nano-crystalline hydrothermal TiO 2 sols seem good candidate for coating applications on stone that cannot be annealed after the coating application.

Transparent nanocomposite films were prepared using bacterial cellulose (BC) as reinforcement and diethylene glycol bis(allyl carbonate) polymer (DEAC) as matrix by vacuum infiltration and UV polymerization. The BC/DEAC nanocomposites exhibit excellent transparency up to 88% at wavelength of 550 nm. The uniform dispersion of resin in BC 3D network was evidenced from SEM and ATR-FTIR analyses, confirms the complete photo-polymerization of diethylene glycol bis(allyl)carbonate monomer to Poly (diethylene glycol bis(allyl carbonate) in BC network. The BC/DEAC composites have good mechanical properties, reaching a tensile strength of 130 MPa and a Young’s Modulus of 6.4 GPa. Applying a micromechanic modeling approach, the elastic modulus of the composite was used in order to determine the average aspect ratio of BC fibers. These flexible transparent BC/DEAC

In the present work Collagen/Hydroxyapatite microsphere (Col/mHA) scaffold with a multiscale porosity was prepared. Col/mHA composite scaffold was prepared by freezedrying/ dehydrothermal crosslinking method. The HA microspheres (mHA) were obtained by spray drying of nano hydroxyapatite slurry prepared by precipitation technique. XRD analysis revealed that the microspheres were composed only of pure HA phase and EDS analysis revealed that Ca/P ratio was 1.69. The obtained microsphere had an average diameter 6 microns, specific surface area of 40 m2/g by BET analysis and BJH analysis shows meso porous structure having an average pore diameter 16nm. SEM analysis shows that the obtained Col/mHA scaffold had a macro porosity ranging from micron to 200 microns with meso porous mHA embedded in the collagen matrix.

Nano sized hydroxyapatites with silicon substitution of three different silicon concentrations were successfully prepared first time by a rapid microwave assisted synthesis method, with a time saving and energy efficient technique. The effects of the Si substitution on crystallite size, particle size and morphology of the powders were investigated. The crystalline phase, microstructure, chemical composition, and morphology and particle size of hydroxyapatite and silicon substituted hydroxyapatites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering. The crystallite size and particle size decreases with increase in silicon content and particle morphology spheroidal for pure hydroxyapatite changes to elongated ellipsoidal crystals while silicon substitution increases. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis reveals, the silicon incorporation to hydroxyapatite lattice occurs via substitution of silicate groups for phosphate groups. Substitution of phosphate group by silicate in the apatite structure results in a small increase in the lattice parameters in both a-axis and c-axis of the unit cell.

A synthesis process of rare earth doped SrTiO3 by modified sol-gel technique is described. Impervious strontium titanate doped with rare earth was prepared by gelification and calcination of colloidal systems. Powders of thulium substituted strontium titanate (SrTi1−xTmxO3-δ, where x = 0.005; 0.02; 0.05) were obtained through cohydrolysis of titanium, strontium, and thulium precursors by sol-gel method. The xerogel obtained from the evaporation of solvents was milled and calcinated at 1100◦C to give a reactive powder. Pure and doped SrTiO3 dense disks were formed by uniaxial pressing. Thermogravimetry (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to study the microstructural evolution of amorphous xerogel into crystalline reactive and sinterable powders. Hardness was measured for each membrane by a Vickers microindenter. Dilatometric and TGA-DSC in pure CO2 flow tests have been performed to evaluate, respectively, the thermal and chemical stability of the material. The optimized preparation route has allowed to synthesize highly reactive easy sintering powders used for fully densified, impervious ceramics with high thermal and chemical stability at high temperature.

Biomimetic scaffolds with a structural and chemical composition similar to native bone tissue may be promising for bone tissue regeneration. In the present work hydroxyapatite mesoporous microspheres (mHA) were incorporated into collagen scaffolds containing an ordered interconnected macroporosity. The mHA were obtained by spray drying of a nano hydroxyapatite slurry prepared by the precipitation technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the microspheres were composed only of hydroxyapatite (HA) phase, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed the Ca/P ratio to be 1.69 which is near the value for pure HA. The obtained microspheres had an average diameter of 6 μm, a specific surface area of 40 m(2)/g as measured by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) analysis showed a mesoporous structure with an average pore diameter of 16 nm. Collagen/HA-microsphere (Col/mHA) composite scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying followed by dehydrothermal crosslinking. SEM observations of Col/mHA scaffolds revealed HA microspheres embedded within a porous collagen matrix with a pore size ranging from a few microns up to 200 μm, which was also confirmed by histological staining of sections of paraffin embedded scaffolds. The compressive modulus of the composite scaffold at low and high strain values was 1.7 and 2.8 times, respectively, that of pure collagen scaffolds. Cell proliferation measured by the MTT assay showed more than a 3-fold increase in cell number within the scaffolds after 15 days of culture for both pure collagen scaffolds and Col/mHA composite scaffolds. Attractive properties of this composite scaffold include the potential to load the microspheres for drug delivery and the controllability of the pore structure at various length scales.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) can be used to realize transparent self-cleaning coatings on stone surfaces as an active and preventive protection system, limiting cleaning and maintenance actions, reducing their costs in Architectural Heritage. This self-cleaning ability is due to photo-induced hydrophilicity on treated surfaces. The aim of this investigation is to analyze this effect, since it could bring to a greater water absorption, a potential source of damage for stone surfaces. Titania sol, obtained by sol-gel and hydrothermal processes, was deposited on travertine by spray coating, in two different ways. Water absorption by capillarity, static contact angle and a specific surface water absorption analysis were assessed before and after the TiO2 treatments. The effects of deposited amount of titania on the characteristics of treated surfaces were evaluated. It was shown that there were no evident changes in the substrate reactivity without ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, while it seems that hydrophilicity due to UV light does not lead to higher water absorption, thus encouraging the use of TiO2 coatings in the field of Architectural Heritage. However, before widely applying this conservative treatment, some further researches are recommended in order to better assess its durability and sustainability.

The use of fabrics with antibacterial properties for commodity applications can provide numerous advantages such as a reduction in the release of odors due to bacterial proliferation in sweat and a reduction in the development of skin hypersensitivity reactions due to microorganisms trapped into the fabrics. Silver is one of the most effective antibacterial agents used for the high degree of biocompatibility and for its long-term antibacterial effectiveness against many different bacterial strains. In this study, an innovative technique for the deposition of nanosilver antibacterial coating on woolen fiber was analyzed. In particular, fabrics woven with different percentages of silver-treated fibers were compared to determine the best ratio preserving the antibacterial activity and optimizing the cost-effectiveness of the final product. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a uniform distribution of silver nanoclusters on the fibers. The impressive silver coating stability and durability were demonstrated after several washing cycles through thermogravimetric analysis. The antimicrobial activity of the silver-treated substrates was evaluated by antibacterial tests on Escherichia coli. A very strong antibacterial activity was found even in presence of the lower silver content; therefore, a blend of coated and uncoated fibers is proposed for practical applications.

The development and application of self-cleaning treatments on historical and architectural stone surfaces could be a significant improvement in conservation, protection and maintenance of Cultural Heritage. In this paper, a TiO2-based coating has been investigated in order to evaluate its possible use as a self-cleaning treatment. This coating was obtained by a sol-gel and a hydrothermal (134 °C) processes and then it was applied on travertine (a limestone often used in historical and monumental buildings) in two ways, obtaining a single-layer and a three-layer treatment, respectively. In order to verify its potential use in the field of Cultural Heritage, the maintenance of appearance properties of the treated travertine surfaces was monitored by colour and gloss analyses. Besides, de-pollution and soiling removal tests were carried out under ultraviolet-light exposure to evaluate photo-induced effects and self-cleaning efficiency. Results seem to allow the use of TiO2-based treatments on historical and architectural surfaces made up by travertine, where de-pollution and self-cleaning photo-induced effects are well evident, maintaining their original visual appearance. Anyway, before applying TiO2-based coatings as conservative treatments, further tests are needed especially on their durability, that is mandatory for Cultural Heritage applications. On-site test in an urban environment and accelerated test by weatherometer are currently under way.

Copper–manganese oxide (CuMnOx) thin films are proposed as efficient and thermally stable selective solar absorbers. The coatings were deposited on aluminum, stainless steel, and glass substrates by dip-coating method from the alcoholic solution of the Cu and Mn nitrate. An organic filmogen was introduced in order to get better adherence with the substrate hence to get uniform films even for larger substrates. The coated films were dried and subsequently heat-treated at 500 C. X-ray diffraction spectra of the annealed film showed the formation of pure Cu–Mn oxide spinel structure (Cu1.5Mn1.5O4) in the film. FTIR spectra show complete removal of the organic species after thermal treatment at 500 C. The solar absorptance and thermal emittance were calculated from the hemispherical reflectance spectra in the UV/Vis/NIR and IR range, respectively. The maximum visible absorptance with minimizing the infrared thermal emittance was optimized by controlling the thickness of the films, choosing substrates, and introducing a SiO2 overlayer.

In this work, we synthesized porous nanohydroxyapatite/collagen composite scaffold (nHA-COL), which resemble extracellular matrices in bone and cartilage tissues. Nano hydroxyapatite (nHA) was successfully nucleated in to the collagen matrix using hen eggshell as calcium biogenic source. Porosity was evaluated by apparent and theoretical density measurement. Porosity of all scaffolds was in the range of 95–98%. XRD and TEM analyses show the purity and size of nucleated HA around 10 nm and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analysis reveals the polycrystalline nature of nucleated HA. SEM analysis reveals (i) all the scaffolds have interconnected pores with an average pore diameter of 130 micron and (ii) aggregates of hydroxyapatite were strongly embedded in the collagen matrix for both composite scaffolds compared with pure collagen scaffold. EDS analysis shows the Ca/P stoichiometric ratio around 1.67 and FTIR reveals the chemical interaction between the collagen molecule and HA particles. The testing of mechanical properties evidenced that incorporation of HA resulted in up to a two-fold increase in compressive modulus with high reinforcement level (∼ 7 kPa for 50HA–50COL) compared to pure collagen scaffold.

Wollastonite/hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds are proposed as bone graft. An investigation on scaffold with varying reinforcing wollastonite content fabricated by polymeric sponge replica is reported. The composition, sintering behavior, morphology, porosity and mechanical strength were characterized. All the scaffolds had a highly porous well-interconnected structure. A significant increase in mechanical strength is achieved by adding a 50% wollastonite phase. The most mechanically resistant (50/50) wollastonite/hydroxyapatite scaffolds were soaked in both simulated body fluid (SBF) and Tris–HCl solution in order to assess bioactivity and biodegradability. A carbo-hydroxyapatite layer formed on their surfaces when immersed in SBF. The biodegradability tests reveals that the composite scaffold shows a higher degradation rate compared to pure hydroxyapatite used as comparison. These results demonstrate that the incorporation of a 50% of wollastonite phase in hydroxyapatite matrix is effective in improving the strength and the bioactive and biodegradable properties of the porous scaffolds.