Development and characterization of innovative 3D printed scaffolds for bone regeneration

The objective of this work was to set a standardized method to develop 3D printed specimens and assess their chemical composition and their biocompatibility properties.The specimens were intended for application within the context of Regenerative Medicine, focusing on bone regeneration and repair.This study was conducted in collaboration with GreenBone,an Italian company which develops safe and effective solutions for bone regeneration.The company uses wood-derived materials to obtain resorbable calcium phosphate.The transformation of wood is conducted through a series of chemical processes:carburization, oxidation, carbonation,and phosphation.The use of 3D printing is expected to facilitate the customization of the porosity of the templates and to enable the production of templates with variable sizes and shapes,regardless of the dimensions of the wood.Producing 3D printed templates would allow to bypass pyrolysis and carburization stages,permitting the integration of the templates from the oxidation onward.This project focused on the engineering and characterization of the composition and formulation of the blend intended for 3D printing.The combination of Ca(OH)2 and Poloxamer 407 in aqueous solution resulted suitable for 3D printing.Blender and Slicer Simplify 3D software were used to design cylindrical models to be 3D printed with a selected porosity.The printing process was conducted through DELTA WASP 2040 Clay 3D printer.The set-up of the printer required the selection of nozzle size and shape and the optimization of pressure, flow, and speed.The templates underwent oxidation, carbonation and phosphation to be fully transformed into ceramic biphasic templates.The final products showed consistency with CE-certified templates obtained from GreenBone's standard process,in term of phase composition and biocompatibility properties.Following further research, the 3D printed final product,with predefined shape and porosity, would be promising as bone substitute.