Fabrication of a zirconia/calcium silicate composite scaffold based on digital light processing

Zirconia (ZrO2) and calcium silicate (CS) are widely used in bone repair. Zirconia has excellent mechanical properties, while calcium silicate has exceptional biological activity. A porous ZrO2/CS composite ceramic scaffold was formed by digital light processing (DLP) technology in this study. The microstructure analysis demonstrated that CS was embedded between ZrO2 particles. Mechanical tests showed that interconnected CS particles could improve mechanical properties, while discrete CS particles led to a decrease in that. Cell experiments showed that adding CS to ZrO2 had a positive effect on cell proliferation and differentiation. In vitro degradation test showed that the weight loss of scaffolds in four weeks increased form - 0.63%-1.42% with the increase of CS content. Moreover, the degradation of scaffold promoted the deposition of apatite, which was beneficial to the integration of the scaffold with living bone. In conclusion, the ZrO2/CS composite scaffold had better biocompatibility compared with the ZrO2 scaffold, which showed a potential solution for 3D printing bone repair scaffolds.

Automated summary

In this study, a porous ZrO2/CS composite ceramic scaffold was successfully formed using digital light processing technology. The addition of CS was found to improve the mechanical properties and cell activity of the scaffold, and the degradation process promoted the integration of the scaffold with living bone.