Abstract
AbstractHerein, we report the physicochemical, thermal, mechanical and biological characteristics, including bioactivity, biodegradation and cytocompatibility of additive manufacturing-enabled novel nanocomposite scaffolds. The scaffolds comprise a blend of polylactic acid (PLA) and poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) reinforced with halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). The nanoengineered filaments were developed by melt blending, and the nanocomposite scaffolds were manufactured by fused filament fabrication. Uniform dispersion of HNTs in the PLA/PCL blend is revealed via scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical property loss due to the addition of PCL to realize a suitable biodegradation rate of PLA was fully recovered by the addition of HNTs. Bioactivity, as revealed by the fraction of apatite growth quantified from XRD analysis, was 5.4, 6.3, 6.8 and 7.1% for PLA, 3, 5 and 7 wt% HNT in PLA/PCL blend, respectively, evidencing enhancement in the bioactivity. The degradation rate, in terms of weight loss, was reduced from 4.6% (PLA) to 1.3% (PLA/PCL) upon addition of PCL, which gradually increased to 4.4% by the addition of HNTs (at 7 wt% HNT). The results suggest that the biodegradation rate, mechanical properties and biological characteristics, including cytocompatibility and cell adhesion, of the 3D printed, microarchitected PLA/PCL/HNT composite scaffolds can be tuned by an appropriate combination of HNT and PCL content in the PLA matrix, demonstrating their promise for bone replacement and regeneration applications.
Graphical abstract
Funder
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Mechanical Engineering,Mechanics of Materials,General Materials Science
Cited by
26 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献