Mechanical behaviour of additively manufactured bioactive glass/high density polyethylene composites

Bioactive glass (BAG) is a well-known biomaterial that can form a strong bond with hard and soft tissues and can also aid in bone regeneration. In this study, BAG is added to a polymer to induce bioactivity and to realize fused filament fabrication (FFF) based printing of polymer composites for potential orthopaedic implant applications. BAG (5, 10, and 20 wt%) is melt compounded with high density polyethylene (HDPE) and subsequently extruded into feedstock filament for FFF-printing. Tensile tests on developed filaments reveal that they are stiff enough to resist forces exerted during the printing process. Micrography of printed HDPE/BAG reveals perfect diffusion of raster interface indicating proper selection of printing parameters. Micrography of freeze fractured prints shows the homogeneous distribution and good dispersion of filler across the matrix. The tensile, flexural, and compressive modulus of FFF-printed HDPE/BAG parts increases with filler addition. BAG addition to the HDPE matrix enhances flexural and compressive strength. The tensile and flexural behaviour of FFF-prints is comparable to injection molded counterparts. Property maps exhibit the merits of present study over the existing literature pertaining to desired bone properties and polymer composites used in biomedical applications. It is envisioned that the development of HDPE/BAG composites for FFF-printing can lead to possible orthopaedic implants and scaffolds to mimic the bone properties in customised anatomical sites or injuries.