Additive Manufacturing of Polyester-Based Biomaterials to Design Piezoelectric Osteoconductive Devices.

Objectives: Recent developments in the additive manufacturing field were beneficial for the medical field. For example, computer-assisted design and fabrication allow for a better training before each surgery. On another scope, bone reconstruction relies more and more on specific biomaterials to regenerate, rather than replacing the bone. Currently on the market, multiple solutions are available, taking advantage of the biocompatibility of phosphor-calcic ceramics. Currently studied, additive manufactured polymer-ceramic composites also rely on biological interactions. However, multiple research teams took interest in mimicking a physical property of the bone, the piezoelectricity. The latter allows the bone to produce electrical charges under mechanical stress, stimulating bone-generating cells. Our study aims towards the fabrication by additive manufacturing of tailor-shaped, porous and piezoelectric scaffolds that could allow a quicker recovery, then being degraded and assimilated in vivo.
Methods: Our process is composed of four steps :
The formulation of biobased polymeric matrixes and bio-composites by extrusion.
The shaping of materials into 3d printing filament of controlled diameter.
The printing of devices from lab-made filaments to produce analysis specimens and create different architectures.
The polarization of said architectures by an intense electric field to induce the piezoelectric effect.
Results: The first mechanical results show a better elastic strain at the cost of rigidity for polymer blend matrixes, compared to neat PLA matrix. The piezoelectric analysis confirmed the effectiveness of corona polarization in inducing a piezoelectric effect in our 3D-printed parts.
Conclusions: The next step will be the comparison between different architectures, while optimizing the printing parameters for each material. This will render the polarization more effective and therefore translate to a higher piezoelectric effect.