Optimization Studies of Robocasted Bioceramic Bone Scaffolds Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and TOPSIS

A bone scaffold is used to treat critical size bone defects and demands contradictory physical and mechanical properties. It is difficult to achieve the desirable properties using a single material, and composite materials are used to develop the scaffolds.

A combination of bioceramics such as hydroxyapatite (HAP), calcium silicate (CS), or calcium phosphate (CP) with different percentages of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) is used to develop the scaffolds using Robocasting 3D printing to treat the cancellous bone defects. The bioceramics will enhance the biocompatibility and bone regeneration of the scaffold while the MWCNT will improve the mechanical properties. Compressive strength, density, shrinkage, and porosity are selected as deciding factors, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) are used to identify the best composite materials for the required properties.

The scaffolds are printed and sintered and observed that CS with 1 mass % of MWCNT sintered at 1200°C, HAP with 0.5 mass % of MWCNT sintered at 1100°C, and CP with 0.5 mass % of MWCNT sintered at 1200°C are the best bone scaffold options.

The ideal processing parameters for developing bioceramic bone scaffolds using the robocasting technique are identified and reported.