Additively manufactured function-tailored bone implants made of graphene-containing biodegradable metal matrix composites

Abstract

While conventionally manufactured metallic biomaterials can hardly meet all the requirements for bone implants including complex geometry, exact dimensions, adequate biodegradability, bone-matching mechanical properties, and biological function, two additional tools have recently appeared in the arsenal of biomaterials scientists which promise to deliver the desired combination of properties. First, the unique mechanical, electrical, and biological properties of graphene (Gr) and its derivatives (GDs), e.g., a Young’s modulus up to 1 TPa, can be utilized to create metal matrix composites in which GDs of varied contents (typically not more than 2 wt%), sizes (lateral sizes from a few nanometers to several micrometers), surface areas (up to the theoretical value of 2630 m²/g), and layer numbers (typically up to 10) are embedded in the biodegradable metal matrix, thereby endowing the composite implants with extraordinary properties. Second, the distinct advantages of additive manufacturing (AM) make it possible for GD-containing composite materials to precisely mimic the complex shapes and structures of bones at multiple length scales. Here, a comprehensive review of the recent advances in the development of GD-containing biodegradable metal matrix composites (GBMMCs), ranging from composite fabrication, including composite powder preparation, and AM processes, to the evaluation of AM composites in terms of their mechanical and biological properties, is presented. Furthermore, the constraints in processing composite powders, the advantages and disadvantages of applicable AM techniques, and the mechanisms of mechanical reinforcement, biodegradation modulation, osteogenesis improvement, and cytotoxicity/antibacterial balance are critically analyzed. Thereafter, the foreseeable challenges faced in the development of the next-generation of bone implants based on GBMMCs are presented and some future directions of research are identified.