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Three-dimensional (3D) printing is implemented for surface modification of titanium alloy substrates with multilayered biofunctional polymeric coatings. Poly(lactic-co- glycolic) acid (PLGA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) polymers were embedded with amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) and vancomycin (VA) therapeutic agents to promote osseointegration and antibacterial activity, respectively. PCL coatings revealed a uniform deposition pattern of the ACP-laden formulation and enhanced cell adhesion on the titanium alloy substrates as compared to the PLGA coatings. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed a nanocomposite structure of ACP particles showing strong binding with the polymers. Cell viability data showed comparable MC3T3 osteoblast proliferation on polymeric coatings as equivalent to positive controls. In vitro live/dead assessment indicated higher cell attachments for 10 layers (burst release of ACP) as compared to 20 layers (steady release) for PCL coatings. The PCL coatings loaded with the antibacterial drug VA displayed a tunable release kinetics profile based on the multilayered design and drug content of the coatings. Moreover, the concentration of active VA released from the coatings was above the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration, demonstrating its effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strain. This research provides a basis for developing antibacterial biocompatible coatings to promote osseointegration of orthopedic implants.
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Solvent‐Cast 3D Printing of Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds
Abstract 3D printing is a popular fabrication technique because of its ability to produce complex architectures. Melt‐based 3D printing is widely used for thermoplastic polymers like poly(caprolactone) (PCL), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), and poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) because of their low processing temperatures. However, traditional melt‐based techniques require processing temperatures and pressures high enough to achieve continuous flow, limiting the type of polymer that can be printed. Solvent‐cast printing (SCP) offers an alternative approach to print a wider range of polymers. Polymers are dissolved in a volatile solvent that evaporates during deposition to produce a solid polymer filament. SCP, therefore, requires optimizing polymer concentration in the ink, print pressure, and print speed to achieve desired print fidelity. Here, capillary flow analysis shows how print pressure affects the process‐apparent viscosity of PCL, PLA, and PLGA inks. Ink viscosity is also measured using rheology, which is used to link a specific ink viscosity to a predicted set of print pressure and print speed for all three polymers. These results demonstrate how this approach can be used to accelerate optimization by significantly reducing the number of parameter combinations. This strategy can be applied to other polymers to expand the library of polymers printable with SCP.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1944914
- PAR ID:
- 10447966
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
- Volume:
- 306
- Issue:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 1438-7492
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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