Nanostructured 3D bioprinting of PLA with bioglass-CNT scaffolds for osseus tissue graft manufacturing

Bone involvement promoted by aging and accidents has raised interest in biomaterials and biofabrication technologies for bone regeneration purposes. Thus, 3D printing technology has gained prominence in the production of scaffolds due to its versatility in producing complex geometries with interconnected pores. In this work, composite scaffolds of poly (lactic acid) (PLA), bioglass (BG) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) were produced by 3D printing, using hexagonal, honeycomb-like geometry interspersed. The samples were analyzed in terms of chemical structure, crystallinity and morphology using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron micro-scopy, respectively. The thermal stability of the composite was evaluated by thermog-ravimetry and the mechanical properties by compression tests. The cell viability was determined by Alamar Blue. The results that raman spectroscopy confirmed the interac-tion of BG in the polymer matrix by new peaks in the spectrum between 1400 and 2600 cm -1 and the presence of the D, G and 2D bands of the CNTs. In terms of compressive strength, PLA scaffolds with 2 mm inner spacing demonstrated higher compressive strength of 14.88 +/- 2.35 MPa, while PLA/CNT higher apparent compressive modulus of 0.58 +/- 0.36 GPa. In cell viability, statistical tests showed that there was no significant dif-ference between scaffolds with 2 and 4 mm inner spacing.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

The interest in biomaterials and biofabrication technologies for bone regeneration has been increased due to bone involvement caused by aging and accidents. 3D printing technology has become popular in producing scaffolds with complex geometries and interconnected pores. In this study, composite scaffolds made of poly (lactic acid) (PLA), bioglass (BG) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) were produced using 3D printing. The samples were analyzed for their chemical structure, crystallinity, morphology, thermal stability, mechanical properties and cell viability.