Chenyi Ge

Master student

Composite scaffolds base on polycaprolactone and ADA-GEL with mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGNs): 3D printing and characterization

Supervisors: Dr. Qaisar Nawaz, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

In comparison to traditional bioactive glasses, mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) exhibit significant enhancements in pore volume, specific surface area, and its ability to mineralize apatite. [1] Utilizing sol-gel synthesis process MBGNs could be produced at a lower temperature, higher homogeneity and purity and be formed in multiscale porosity over melt-derived products.[2] The integration of nanoparticles into 3D-printed Polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds represents a cutting-edge approach in the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is an FDA-approved polymer recognized for its biodegradability. Its ability to undergo low-temperature processing makes it ideal for 3D printing. PCL degrades slowly, yielding non-toxic byproducts. [3] A recent interesting research area is the development of hybrid hydrogel composites by combining printed tough hydrogels as the scaffold and soft hydrogels as the filled substance. [4] Alginate dialdehyde-gelatin (ADA-GEL) shows exceptional cytocompatibility with various cell types and tunable mechanical properties, making it a promising biomaterial candidate for soft tissue applications, such as artificial blood vessels. [5]
This Master thesis focuses on 3D-printed PCL-MBGNs composite scaffold combined with ADA-GEL. Studies on the interfacial bonding between filler and scaffold material, the distribution of the filler within the scaffold, mechanical and biological properties will be investigated.

[1] Ma, Hongshi, et al. “3D-printed bioceramic scaffolds: From bone tissue engineering to tumor therapy.” Acta biomaterialia 79 (2018): 37-59.
[2] Migneco, Carla, et al. “A guided walk through the world of mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs): Fundamentals, processing, and applications.” Nanomaterials 10.12 (2020): 2571.
[3] Goncalves, Elsa M., et al. “Three‐dimensional printed PCL‐hydroxyapatite scaffolds filled with CNT s for bone cell growth stimulation.” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials 104.6 (2016): 1210-1219.
[4] Du, Cong, et al. “3D printing of a tough double-network hydrogel and its use as a scaffold to construct a tissue-like hydrogel composite.” Journal of Materials Chemistry B 10.3 (2022): 468-476.
[5] Ruther, F., et al. “Biofabrication of vessel-like structures with alginate di-aldehyde—gelatin (ADA-GEL) bioink.” Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine 30 (2019): 1-14.