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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Effect of seed distribution characteristics on mechanical properties, degradation behavior, and osteogenic differentiation of additively manufactured Voronoi-based biomimetic scaffolds

Boxun Liu1,2 ,  Yunhui Wang1,2 ,  Yushan Huang2 ,  Zhi Dong2 ,  Yi Zhang1 ,  Zhengbo Wen1 ,  QiXin Liang1 ,  Changjun Han2*
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1 Huamei (Shenzhen) BioTech Co., Ltd, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
2 School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
IJB, 025450466 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJB025450466
Received: 4 November 2025 | Accepted: 9 December 2025 | Published online: 18 December 2025
© 2025 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/ )
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Abstract

The application of bionic porous structures based on Voronoi diagrams in bone defect repair has been extensively studied, with seed distribution characteristics recognized as key parameters affecting the performance of Voronoi scaffolds. In this study, a controllable parametric design method for Voronoi scaffolds was employed to experimentally and numerically investigate the effects of seed count and porosity on the mechanical properties, degradation behavior, mass transfer efficiency, and cell activity of laser powder bed fusion–printed degradable zinc-based Voronoi bone scaffolds. The results revealed the influence mechanisms of seed distribution characteristics on the mechanical properties and deformation modes of Voronoi scaffolds, achieving a 26.9% enhancement in failure stress. Moreover, by adjusting seed distribution, the degradation rate was precisely regulated within the range of 0.027–0.157 mm/year, enabling a 5.8-fold control over the release of zinc ion. Additionally, the effect of seed density on the osteogenic performance and gene expression of mouse pre-osteoblast cells were examined, demonstrating that higher seed densities predominantly upregulated COL1 and ALP expression to promote osteogenic differentiation. Increasing the seed count density elevated COL1 expression to 4.5 times that of the control group. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application and performance optimization of degradable zinc-based Voronoi bionic bone scaffolds.  

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Additive manufacturing
Cell activity
Degradation behavior
Laser powder bed fusion
Seed density
Voronoi scaffold
Funding
This study was supported by the following funds: the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2024ZYGXZR079), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52305358 and W2421079), the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by CAST (No. 2023QNRC001), and the Science and Technology Project of Guangzhou (No. 2025A04J5196).
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
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