Fabrication of shapeless scaffolds reinforced with baghdadite-magnetite nanoparticles using a 3D printer and freeze-drying technique

Abstract

Bone fracture due to internal or external factors is one of the most common diseases in today's orthopedic society. One of the techniques to solve these problems is to use artificial porous bone grafts made by 3D printers and the Freeze-Drying (FD) techniques. In this study, a shapeless porous scaffold was first fabricated using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) with the electroconductive filament. The printed scaffold is inserted into the alginate solution composed of Magnetite Nanoparticles (MNPs) containing 0, 10, 20, and 30 wt% baghdadite nanoparticles. Then, the four samples are coated using an FD technique at −45 °C and 0.01 m bar. The mechanical and biological properties are investigated using compressive strength and Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) test. The samples are analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis to evaluate the morphology and phase of the fabricated specimens. The obtained results from the measurement of mechanical properties show that the scaffolds can maintain their strength in the dry state and terms of mechanical properties close to cortical bones at about 6.5 MPa for the sample with 20 wt% and 72% porosity. The swelling behavior of the scaffolds in the Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS) is also investigated. The cytotoxicity of the porous scaffold is evaluated by direct measurement for three days and the result of the sample with 20 wt% was significantly better than the other samples. Finally, this research shows that the produced bio-nanocomposite scaffolds have potential application in tissue engineering.

Keywords

• Electroconductive
• Baghdadite bioceramic
• 3D printing
• Freeze-drying