Microarchitected 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposite scaffolds for biomedical applications

摘要

Anti-bacterial scaffolds made of copper, bronze and silver particles filled PLA nanocomposites were realized via fused filament fabrication (FFF), additive manufacturing. The thermal, mechanical and biological characteristics including bioactivity and bactericidal properties of the scaffolds were evaluated. The incorporation of bronze particles into the neat PLA increases the elastic modulus up to 10% and 27% for samples printed in 0 degrees and 90 degrees configurations respectively. The stiffness increases, up to 103% for silver filled PLA nanocomposite scaffolds. The surface of scaffolds was treated with acetic acid to create a thin porous network. Significant increase (similar to 20-25%) in the anti-bacterial properties and bioactivity (similar to 18-100%) is attributed to the synergetic effect of reinforcement of metallic/metallic alloy particles and acid treatment. The results indicate that PLA nanocomposites could be a potential candidate for bone scaffold applications.