Abstract This study focuses the dynamic degradation analysis of gelatin-modified calcium/strontium phosphate bone substitute composites under controlled liquid flow in a custom degradation chamber. Two flow rates (0.022 and 0.266 mL/min) were applied over seven days and analyzed by µCT, mass loss, and ion concentration measurements. The key finding was that time-resolved degradation of organic/inorganic composite materials can be identified in µCT separately for both components (gelatin and Ca/Sr phosphate). As expected, it was found that higher flow rates induced 5% greater mass loss due to shear stresses and accelerated ion release. This modular approach of degradation chamber and non-destructive continuous analysis enables systematic comparison of slowly degrading biomaterials relevant for bone regeneration and quantification of osteogenic ion release during degradation. Improved comparability under flow conditions enables predictable material evaluation, optimization of implant performance, prediction of tissue reactions and may lead to a reduction in animal testing in the long term. Graphical abstract
Guder et al. (2026) studied this question.