Characterization of 3D-printed graphene-reinforced PLA scaffold for bone regeneration

Abstract

In orthopaedic application, Bone Tissue Engineering (BTE) is a novel treatment method for bone defects by making bone regeneration using an artificial supporting structure called scaffold. The aim of this work is to fabricate the Graphene reinforced Poly Lactic Acid (PLA/Gr) scaffold by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) process with different pore shapes (circular, square and hexagonal) and different pore sizes of (1000 µm,1500 µm and 2000 µm). The characterization of the 3D printed PLA/Gr scaffolds are analysed through FT-IR, TGA, DTG, SEM and EDX analysis. Water contact angle measurement exhibited hydrophilic surface (70 ± 2.7 degree) in a pore size of 1000 µm scaffolds. Mechanical Properties studies resulted the compressive strength of 18.53 ± 0.90 MPa in circular 1000 µm scaffold which is similar to cancellous bone value. In addition, the study involves an examination of the in vitro bioactivity, water uptake, and biodegradation characteristics of scaffolds. The results reveal that 3D printed PLA/Gr scaffold featuring a circular pore shape with a pore size of 1000 µm exhibits great potential as an implant for bone tissue engineering.

In Vitro Studies on 3D-Printed PLA/HA/GNP Structures for Bone Tissue Regeneration

“…Modern treatment options for these bone defects consist of bone grafting (e.g., autographs, allografts, xenografts) and conventional metallic implants. However, these methods present major drawbacks in terms of high surgery costs, donor site pain, limited bone availability, inflammation, stress shielding effect, secondary removal surgery and a prolonged recovery time [2]. To solve this issue and overcome the limitations imposed by the traditional approaches, an alternative strategy for bone tissue repair has emerged in the form of bone tissue engineering (BTE), an active on-going developing field that combines bone cells with artificial templates known as scaffolds in order to assemble a structure capable of restoring and maintaining the inherent architecture and function of the damaged bone tissue [3,4].…”