AccScience Publishing / IJB / Volume 10 / Issue 5 / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.3609
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Design and fabrication of anisotropic SiO2 gyroid bioscaffolds with tunable properties

Ka-Wai Yeung1 Chi-Yeung Mang1 Quan-Jing Mei2 Chi Ho Wong3 Chak-Yin Tang1,4* Xin Zhao2 Wing-Cheung Law1 Gary Chi-Pong Tsui1 Zhenjia Huang1
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1 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
2 Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
3 Department of Physics, School of Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
4 State Key Laboratory of Ultra-precision Machining Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
IJB 2024, 10(5), 3609 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.3609
Submitted: 8 May 2024 | Accepted: 11 June 2024 | Published: 8 August 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s).. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

This paper introduces a mathematical approach and additive manufacturing process to customize the mechanical properties of sheet gyroid bioscaffolds and mimicking the intricate architecture of natural bone. By defining the parameters of the level-set equation, scaffolds with spatially controlled porosity and anisotropic properties can be fabricated though digital light processing and microwave heating. A new susceptor-assisted hybrid pyrolysis-sintering process was developed, resulting in a significant enhancement in quality and mechanical properties of the three-dimensional (3D)-printed ceramic compared to conventional methods. The enhancements are originated from the improved densification, accelerated sintering kinetics, promotion of cristobalite phase transformation, and reduced defect volume under microwave heating. Sheet gyroid scaffolds with radially graded porosity and anisotropic properties were fabricated. Despite the porosity distribution, an increase in the unit cell’s aspect ratio amplified the anisotropic mechanical properties. This was also accompanied by a slight decrease in cell proliferation efficiency possibly due to variations in Gaussian curvatures.  

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Biomimetic structure
Triply periodic minimal surface
Microwave technology
3D Printing
Ceramic bioscaffold
Funding
The work described in this paper was mainly supported by the funding support to the State Key Laboratories in Hong Kong from the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region [HKSAR] of China), and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Project Code: BBX2 and PolyU Project Code: 1-BBTN) and a grant from the Research Committee of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University under project account code G-UAMY.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing