Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/5023
Title: Additive manufacturing of bioceramic and biocomposite devices for bone repair
Authors: Melo, Priscila
Issue Date: 2020
Publisher: Newcastle University
Abstract: Advancements in technology allow for longer lifespans, creating the need for improved medical devices, especially in orthopaedics. New technologies like additive manufacturing (AM) allow the creation of patient-specific implants with complex shapes and controlled porous structures. This project aimed to exploit AM for the development of novel materials and devices within bone regeneration. Several glass-ceramics are bioactive, presenting a similar composition to human bone, and improved mechanical properties. Here, we investigate the use of Apatite-Wollastonite (AW) as feedstock for AM techniques. Alumina-doped AW powders and polymer ceramic biocomposites were developed and their manufacturing processes optimized. Characterization of the materials, physicochemical and biological, proved the devices suitability for bone regeneration. The effect of alumina on the surface of AW particles on material processing, crystallization mechanism and mechanical properties was investigated. AW containing 0.13 wt% alumina at the surface was printed using binder jetting. Samples presented low open porosity and flexural modulus, but their bioactivity was preserved, including osteoconductivity. To explore the potential of unsintered AW glass composition, two biodegradable composite filaments were developed, with particles or fibres as fillers, at 5 wt% loading. Printed struts prepared with Fused Filament Fabrication showed mechanical properties comparable to cancellous bone and induced the differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells to osteoblasts. It was determined that both composites expressed bioactivity, further enhancing cell biomineralisation, but the fibre filler expressed enhanced ion leaching and flexural modulus. In considering the use of AW glass and glass-ceramic as feedstock for AM processes, it is concluded that it is versatile biomaterial, in both powder and fibre form, and processable via different routes. Exploring the effects of its morphology and composition allows for higher freedom in material design, widening the application range within the market for devices targeting bone repair.
Description: Ph. D. Thesis
URI: http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/5023
Appears in Collections:School of Engineering

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