3D-printed strontium-incorporated β-TCP bioceramic triply periodic minimal surface scaffolds with simultaneous high porosity, enhanced strength, and excellent bioactivity

Abstract

In bone tissue engineering, scaffolds with excellent mechanical and bioactive properties play prominent roles in space maintaining and bone regeneration, attracting increasingly interests in clinical practice. In this study, strontium-incorporated β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), named Sr-TCP, bioceramic triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structured scaffolds were successfully fabricated by digital light processing (DLP)-based 3D printing technique, achieving high porosity, enhanced strength, and excellent bioactivity. The Sr-TCP scaffolds were first characterized by element distribution, macrostructure and microstructure, and mechanical properties. Notably, the compressive strength of the scaffolds reached 1.44 MPa with porosity of 80%, bringing a great mechanical breakthrough to porous scaffolds. Furthermore, the Sr-TCP scaffolds also facilitated osteogenic differentiation of mouse osteoblastic cell line (MC3T3-E1) cells in both gene and protein aspects, verified by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Overall, the 3D-printed Sr-TCP bioceramic TPMS structured scaffolds obtained high porosity, boosted strength, and superior bioactivity at the same time, serving as a promising approach for bone regeneration.

Exploring Multifunctional Response of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2–K0.5Na0.5NbO3 Ceramic Composite for Biomedical Applications

“…However, with the addition of the KNN, the dispersion behavior along with ε′ enhances significantly. The bioceramics used in bioelectrets or scaffolds should be capable of enhancing the externally applied electric field at the implanted site by undergoing polarization, and even more so, it must sustain the production of electric fields within the body after the removal of the external field . It was pointed out earlier by Das et al that scaffolds designed from bioceramic composites can be polarized when external electrical stimulations are applied to the site of implant surgery .…”

“…The bioceramics used in bioelectrets or scaffolds should be capable of enhancing the externally applied electric field at the implanted site by undergoing polarization, and even more so, it must sustain the production of electric fields within the body after the removal of the external field. 4 It was pointed out earlier by Das et al that scaffolds designed from bioceramic composites can be polarized when external electrical stimulations are applied to the site of implant surgery. 6 The diploes in the ceramics undergo polarization by various mechanisms as described by Kao et al 35 In fact, the application of external electric stimulations in implant/fractured sites has become a very common medical procedure for achieving accelerated healing.…”

“…Besides the biological properties, HAP also possesses piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity. These are useful metabolic processes for ensuring long-term implant integration. − These electrical properties offer a deeper understanding of the process of bone formation, recovery, and the ability to adjust to various external stimuli including mechanical stress . Synergistic to biological properties, probing and engineering the electrical properties of biomaterials has developed into a fascinating research area.…”

How to Improve the Curing Ability during the Vat Photopolymerization 3D Printing of Non-Oxide Ceramics: A Review

“…UV curing technology has the advantages of being highly efficient, environmentally friendly, energy-saving, enabling, and economical, as well as having a shorter curing time [ 26 ]. The above advantages make it widely applicable for oxide ceramics (e.g., Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 ) [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ] and bio ceramics (e.g., HA, TCP) [ 31 , 32 ]. The studies on slurry preparation [ 33 , 34 ], the optimization of VP process parameters [ 35 , 36 ], and debonding–sintering processes [ 37 , 38 ] for these ceramic materials have reached a mature stage and have been widely reported.…”