Bioinspired Nanoscale 3D Printing of Calcium Phosphates Using Bone Prenucleation Clusters.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Bioinspired Chemistry

Background:

• Calcium phosphates (CaPs) are vital in biological systems (bones, teeth) and biomedical uses.
• Current 3D printing methods struggle to fabricate CaPs at the nanoscale with high resolution.
• Existing techniques like two-photon polymerization (2pp) are unsuitable for CaP nanostructure fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel 3D printing approach for fabricating nanoscale calcium phosphate structures.
• To achieve unprecedented resolution in 3D printed CaP materials.
• To overcome limitations of current nanofabrication techniques for CaPs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized bioinspired chemistry, specifically bone prenucleation nanoclusters (PNCs, ~5 nm).
• Incorporated PNCs into a photosensitive resin to create a transparent photoresist.
• Leveraged the transparent photoresist for high-resolution 3D nanopatterning of CaPs.

Main Results:

• Achieved 3D printing of CaP structures with ≈300 nm resolution, three orders of magnitude finer than existing methods.
• Overcame light-scattering issues common with larger CaP nanoparticles.
• Enabled precise control over CaP microstructure down to submicron grain levels.

Conclusions:

• The novel method allows for nanopatterning of CaPs on various substrates.
• This advancement opens possibilities for bioinspired metamaterials and precision coatings.
• The technique facilitates the development of damage-tolerant materials and cell-modulating interfaces.