3D Printing Tricalcium Phosphate-Polymer Composites for Biomimetic Bone Scaffolds

3D printed bone scaffolds made from polymers and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) are being evaluated for bone tissue engineering and treatments. This study focuses on the preparation of TCP-polymer composite filaments and their performance in filament deposition 3D printing. Polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) were melt processed with varying amounts of TCP to afford composite filaments. The filaments were used to print bone scaffolds and test coupons to evaluate how the various polymers and TCP:polymer ratio influenced the resulting composite structure and their mechanical properties. Composite morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical properties were investigated with tensile and compressive stress strain testing and were compared to injection molded samples. It was possible to prepare composites with up to 50wt% TCP into the polymers. As expected, the inclusion of TCP increased the modulus and strength of the polymers sufficiently for their application to bone engineering.