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Development of Bioceramic Bone-Inspired Scaffolds Through Single-Step Melt-Extrusion 3D Printing for Segmental Defect
Aikaterini Dedeloudi1, Pietro Maria Bertelli2, Laura Martinez-Marcos3
1School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
Journal of Functional Biomaterials
|October 28, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a fast, single-step 3D printing method for creating bone scaffolds using polycaprolactone and bioceramics like hydroxyapatite and beta-tricalcium phosphate. The resulting scaffolds show excellent structural integrity, biocompatibility, and potential for bone tissue regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Growing demand for bone tissue regeneration solutions necessitates advanced manufacturing and biomaterials.
- Current methods like Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Direct Ink Writing (DIW) for bone implants are often multi-step and time-consuming.
- Personalized treatment approaches require patient-specific implants with complex geometries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a single-step melt-extrusion 3D printing (3DP) technique for creating multi-material bone scaffolds.
- To incorporate bioceramics, including hydroxyapatite (HA) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP), within a polycaprolactone (PCL) matrix.
- To optimize printing parameters and evaluate the physicochemical, mechanical, and cytocompatibility properties of the PCL-ceramic composite scaffolds.
Main Methods:
- A single-step melt-extrusion 3DP technique was employed.
- Multi-material scaffolds were fabricated using polycaprolactone (PCL) with 10% and 20% (w/w) of bioactive or calcined hydroxyapatite (HA) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP).
- Physicochemical properties, thermal degradation, surface morphology, mechanical performance (tensile testing), and in vitro cytocompatibility were evaluated.
Main Results:
- All 3D-printed PCL-ceramic composite scaffolds demonstrated structural integrity, physicochemical stability, and thermal stability.
- Surface morphology and thermal degradation analyses confirmed consistent ceramic distribution.
- Tensile testing revealed scaffold flexibility correlated with ceramic type and concentration, offering insights for mechanotransduction.
- In vitro cell studies indicated high cell viability and proliferation, confirming excellent biocompatibility.
Conclusions:
- The single-step melt-extrusion 3DP process is a precise and rapid method for fabricating biomaterial-based scaffolds.
- The developed PCL-ceramic composite scaffolds possess favorable properties for bone tissue engineering applications.
- This additive manufacturing approach shows significant potential for surgical restoration and support of segmental bone defects.
