Structural, mechanical and biomedical properties of 3D-printed Cu-doped Fe3O4/58S bioactive glass/polycaprolactone composite scaffold for bone tissue regeneration

Abstract

This research investigates the mechanical, structural and biomedical implications of adding copper-doped magnetite nanoparticles, composited with 58S bioactive glass, to the 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold. Cu-doped magnetite nanoparticles can be potentially used in hyperthermia and anti-bacterial applications. Additionally, the addition of bioactive glass was intended to promote bone tissue regeneration, hence creating a multi-purpose 3D-printed PCL scaffold. The PCL-nanocomposite mixtures were 3D printed using FDM method. Cu-doped magnetite nanoparticles-58S bioactive glass composite powders and 3D printed scaffolds were characterized using different techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Cell viability, bioactivity, and anti-bacterial properties of scaffolds were also investigated. XRD/FESEM/FTIR results confirmed successful synthesis of Cu-doped magnetite nanoparticles-58S bioactive glass composite powder mixture with a perfect superparamagnetic behavior. Results also showed that the addition of secondary particles to the PCL is associated with some noticeable impacts on the wettability, roughness, and mechanical properties of printed scaffolds, with the best properties attained in the sample with 20 % of added secondary particles. Assessments of biomedical properties of printed specimens showed that the optimum printed scaffold has great anti-bacterial performance and promising cell viability and bioactivity, making is a great candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.