Sintered and 3D-Printed Bulks of MgB2-Based Materials with Antimicrobial Properties

Abstract

Pristine high-density bulk disks of MgB2 with added hexagonal BN (10 wt.%) were prepared using spark plasma sintering. The BN-added samples are machinable by chipping them into desired geometries. Complex shapes of different sizes can also be obtained by the 3D printing of polylactic acid filaments embedded with MgB2 powder particles (10 wt.%). Our present work aims to assess antimicrobial activity quantified as viable cells (CFU/mL) vs. time of sintered and 3D-printed materials. In vitro antimicrobial tests were performed against the bacterial strains Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus faecium DSM 13590, and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212; and the yeast strain Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019. The antimicrobial effects were found to depend on the tested samples and microbes, with E. faecium being the most resistant and E. coli the most susceptible.

Comparative Experimental Investigation of Biodegradable Antimicrobial Polymer-Based Composite Produced by 3D Printing Technology Enriched with Metallic Particles

“…A similar observation was reported by Alam and colleagues who identified the 3D printed PLA/Ag nanocomposite as the best antimicrobial agent against E. coli [ 53 ]. Badica and coworkers tested the antimicrobial activity of 3D printed metal-based composites against E. coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , S. aureus , Enterococcus faecium , Enterococcus faecalis , and the yeast strain Candida parapsilosis [ 54 ]. Another study by Du and colleagues employed a wood-based mesoporous composite doped with silver nanoparticles as an antimicrobial agent to treat wastewater [ 55 ].…”

The Use of 3D Printing and Nanotechnologies to Prevent and Inhibit Biofilms on Medical Devices

“…Material sciences are also playing a role by researching certain composite materials that show promising results with antibiofilm resistance. Such a material is a 3D-printed composite of polylactic acid (PLA) with the addition of MgB2 particles [56]. The PLA composite, along with MgB2, was shown to have strong antimicrobial activity and is a great candidate for future medical devices due to its range of biomedical applications and its biodegradability and biocompatibility properties [56,57].…”

“…Such a material is a 3D-printed composite of polylactic acid (PLA) with the addition of MgB2 particles [56]. The PLA composite, along with MgB2, was shown to have strong antimicrobial activity and is a great candidate for future medical devices due to its range of biomedical applications and its biodegradability and biocompatibility properties [56,57]. Another application of polylactic acid (PLA) is in filament compositions along with modified carbon nanomaterials such as bidimensional graphene (PLA-G), which improves the performance of 3D-printed medical devices.…”