3D printed phosphate glass/polylactide composites for orthopaedic application

Lizhe He, Jiahui Zhong, Chenkai Zhu, Xiaoling Liu

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Phosphate glass/polylactic acid composites have shown great potential as orthopaedic implant materials due to excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and bone-mimicking mechanical properties. However, the moulding-based fabrication process and poor post-processing ability of composites pose a problem for manufacturing implants with the desired size and shape for proper anatomical fit and consequent effective healing. In this study, the phosphate glass/polylactide composites were additively manufactured via fused deposition modelling (FDM). The incorporation of 10 wt.% phosphate glass particles (PGP) /milled fibres (PGF) improved the stiffness of implants by ~14% but led to 5% of strength reduction. The trend was intensified to ~30% modulus increment and ~8% strength reduction when 20 wt.% PGP was incorporated. By incorporating 10 wt.% of PGF in composites, the strength reduction was almost the same, whereas the improvement of flexural modulus of ~30% was significantly higher than that of PGP incorporation. Moreover, it was found that the PGF reinforced composites maintained around 70% of their initial mechanical p roperties even after 56 days of degradation in phosphate buffered saline. These properties allow PGF 10 composites for the fixation of low load-bearing bone structures. More importantly, the use of FDM method allows PGF reinforced composites with desired geometrical features to be built, which are potential for patient-specific biomedical implants.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIET Doctoral Forum on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence 2018, BRAIN 2018
PublisherInstitution of Engineering and Technology
EditionCP754
ISBN (Print)9781785617911, 9781839530838
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018
EventIET Doctoral Forum on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence 2018, BRAIN 2018 - Ningbo, China
Duration: 4 Nov 2018 → …

Publication series

NameIET Conference Publications
NumberCP754
Volume2018

Conference

ConferenceIET Doctoral Forum on Biomedical Engineering, Healthcare, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence 2018, BRAIN 2018
Country/TerritoryChina
CityNingbo
Period4/11/18 → …

Keywords

  • 3D PRINTING
  • BIODEGRADABLE
  • BIOMATERIALS
  • BONE FIXATION
  • COMPOSITES

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of '3D printed phosphate glass/polylactide composites for orthopaedic application'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this