A review on fabrication of 3D printed biomaterials using optical methodologies for tissue engineering applications

Human body comprises of different internal and external biological components. Human organs tend to fail due to continuous or sudden stress which leads to deterioration, failure, and dislocation. The choice of selection and fabrication of materials for tissue engineering play a key role in terms of suitability, sensitivity, and functioning with other organs as a replacement for failed organs. The progressive improvement of the additive manufacturing (AM) approach in healthcare made it possible to print multi-material and customized complex/intricate geometries in a layer-by-layer fashion. The customized or patient-specific implant fabrication can be easily produced with a high success rate due to the development of AM technologies with tailorable properties. The structural behavior of 3D printed biomaterials is a crucial factor in tissue engineering as they affect the functionality of the implants. Various techniques have been developed in appraising the important features and the effects of the subsequent design of the biomaterial implants. The behavior of the AM built biomaterial implants can be understood visually by an imaging system with a high spatial and spectral resolution. This review intends to present an overview of various biomaterials used in implants, followed by a detailed description of optical 3D printing procedures and evaluation of the performance of 3D printed biomaterials using optical characterization.