Additive manufacturing of bone replacement implants from crystallising bioactive glasses

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Aldo Boccaccini; Professorin Andrea Stucchi de Camargo, Ph.D., since 12/2023
• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 435860394

Additive manufacturing (AM) of implants for bone replacement from bioactive glasses with tuneable crystallisation enables complex shapes, tailored porosity and cavity architecture, the release of therapeutic ions, controlled materials degradation, and a good stimulus of cell formation and growth. Despite its numerous promising advantages, additive manufacturing from crystallising bioactive glasses has hardly been studied. In particular, this lack of knowledge comprises the effects of AM processing parameters on sintering, crystallisation, and shape stability of glass powder compacts during manufacture. Furthermore, fundamental knowledge about the influence of crystallinity, porosity and pore space architecture on bioactivity is missing. This project therefore focusses on the AM of complex scaffolds from bioactive glasses and their bioactivity. As bioactive glasses commonly exhibit strong crystallisation tendency, the study of its effect on AM and bioactivity including cell formation, growth and materials degradation is the key part of the proposed working packages.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Jens Günster, Ph.D.
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Dr. Ralf Müller, until 12/2023