Seminarium Naukowe

3D printed multimaterial bioabsorbable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: mechanical, corrosion and biological performance
Javier LLorca
IMDEA Materials Institute & Technical University of Madrid

Temporary implants and scaffolds from bioabsorbable materials, that are progressively degraded and absorbed in the human body have tremendous potential for tissue engineering applications. Moreover, 3D printing technologies allow to design implants and scaffolds that are customized to the patient’s needs. However, the full potential of bioresorbable scaffolds can only be achieved if it is possible to develop materials in which the mechanical properties and degradation rates are synchronized with tissue growth. To this end, it is necessary to develop a palette of biodegradable materials which cover a wide range of mechanical properties and degradation rates.

In this talk, strategies to design different bioabsorbable materials (metals, polymers and metal/polymer composites) and surface modifications to tailor mechanical properties, degradation rates and biocompatibility for bone tissue engineering are presented. They include Mg scaffolds manufactured by laser power-bed fusion as well as composite scaffolds made up of a biodegradable thermoplastic matrices reinforced with Mg or Zn particles or Mg fibers manufactured by fused filament fabrication. Moreover, surface modifications are used to control the degradation rate and improve cytocompatibility while advanced simulation tools are used to predict the degradation of the mechanical performance of the scaffolds during in vitro tests.