SLS 3D Printing To Fabricate Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Hydroxyapatite Bioactive Composite Porous Scaffolds and Their Bone...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) has potential in biomedicine but poor thermal processability limits its use.
• Selective laser sintering (SLS) requires materials with improved thermal properties for scaffold fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the thermal processability of PVA for SLS 3D printing.
• To develop novel PVA/hydroxyapatite (HA) composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Main Methods:

• Molecular complexation was used to reduce PVA's melting point and crystallinity.
• Modified PVA (MPVA) was compounded with HA to create printable composite powders.
• SLS 3D printing was employed to fabricate porous MPVA/HA scaffolds.

Main Results:

• MPVA exhibited reduced melting point (190.9 °C) and crystallinity (27.9%).
• SLS 3D-printed MPVA/HA scaffolds showed high precision, interconnected pores (68.3% porosity).
• In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated enhanced osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, and bone regeneration.

Conclusions:

• Molecular complexation effectively improved PVA's thermal processability for SLS.
• MPVA/HA composite scaffolds show significant potential for bone tissue engineering.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for fabricating PVA-based scaffolds for clinical applications.