Enhanced biomedical applicability of ZrO-SiO ceramic composites in 3D printed bone scaffolds.

Zirconia (ZrO) has been widely used in clinical applications, such as bone and dental implantation, because of its favorable mechanical properties and resistance to fracture. However, the poor cell affinity of ZrO for bone regeneration and tissue binding, as well as its shrinkage due to crystal phase transformation during heat treatment, limits its clinical use and processing plasticity. This study aims to investigate an appropriate ZrO-SiO composite recipe for ceramic 3D printing processes that can strike a balance between the mechanical properties and cell affinity needed in clinical applications.

3D Printing Bioceramic Porous Scaffolds with Good Mechanical Property and Cell Affinity.

Artificial bone grafting is widely used in current orthopedic surgery for bone defect problems. Unfortunately, surgeons remain unsatisfied with the current commercially available products. One of the major complaints is that these products cannot provide sufficient mechanical strength to support the human skeletal structure.