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Cited by 80Bone Tissue Engineering Materialsbiodegradable polymer synthesis and propertiesAdditive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies

The Effect of PCL Addition on 3D-Printable PLA/HA Composite Filaments for the Treatment of Bone Defects

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Åkerlund, Elin, Diez-Escudero, Anna, Grzeszczak, Ana, Persson, Cecilia·2022·Polymers
DOI 10.3390/polym14163305PMC PMC9416491
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Abstract

The still-growing field of additive manufacturing (AM), which includes 3D printing, has enabled manufacturing of patient-specific medical devices with high geometrical accuracy in a relatively quick manner. However, the development of materials with specific properties is still ongoing, including those for enhanced bone-repair applications. Such applications seek materials with tailored mechanical properties close to bone tissue and, importantly, that can serve as temporary supports, allowing for new bone ingrowth while the material is resorbed. Thus, controlling the resorption rate of materials for bone applications can support bone healing by balancing new tissue formation and implant resorption. In this regard, this work aimed to study the combination of polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and hydroxyapatite (HA) to develop customized biocompatible and bioresorbable polymer-based composite filaments, through extrusion, for fused filament fabrication (FFF) printing. PLA and PCL were used as supporting polymer matrices while HA was added to enhance the biological activity. The materials were characterized in terms of mechanical properties, thermal stability, chemical composition and morphology. An accelerated degradation study was executed to investigate the impact of degradation on the above-mentioned properties. The results showed that the materials’ chemical compositions were not affected by the extrusion nor the printing process. All materials exhibited higher mechanical properties than human trabecular bone, even after degradation with a mass loss of around 30% for the polymer blends and 60% for the composites. It was also apparent that the mineral accelerated the polymer degradation significantly, which can be advantageous for a faster healing time, where support is required only for a shorter time period.

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  • The degradation rate customization relies heavily on the material composition, with the incorporation of mineral phases such as HAp enhancing the degradation of PLA/PCL combinations.

    “A Swedish research team reported that the degradation rate customization relies heavily on the material composition, with the incorporation of mineral phases such as HAp enhancing the degradation of PLA/PCL combinations [187].”

    From Resorbable Biomaterials Used for 3D Scaffolds in Tissue Engineering: A Review (2023) · cites this paper as [187]

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Åkerlund, E., Diez-Escudero, A., Grzeszczak, A., & Persson, C.
Affiliations
  • Uppsala University (SE)
  • Ortholab, Department of Surgical Sciences, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
Corresponding author
Persson, Cecilia
ORCID
Venue
Polymers
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2022-08-13
Volume
14
Issue
16
Pages
3305
ISSN
2073-4360 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/polym14163305
PMC
PMC9416491
OpenAlex
W4291513202
Cited by
80
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 6
FWCI
4.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Polymers (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Diva portal (Dalarna University Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UPCommons institutional repository (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Göran Gustafssons Stiftelse (1729, FO2018-0240, 2019-00029)
  • Lars Hiertas Minne Foundation (1729, FO2018-0240, 2019-00029)
  • Swedish Innovation Agency VINNOVA through AM4Life Competence Centre (1729, FO2018-0240, 2019-00029)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Bone Tissue Engineering Materials
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies
Keywords
polycaprolactone, polylactic acid, hydroxyapatite, polymer composites, 3D printing filaments, fused deposition modeling, bone defects, bone tissue engineering, biodegradation, mechanical properties, thermal stability, trabecular bone, bioresorbable materials

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