Applications

A 3D Printed Zinc Scaffold Could Treat Bone Defects

Bone defects can be congenital or accident-related and require different treatment approaches depending on the cause. One possible method of healing is a 3D-printed zinc scaffold, which is being developed by Chinese experts from Beihang University, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao&h

A 3D Printed Zinc Scaffold Could Treat Bone Defects
3Dnatives

Bone defects can be congenital or accident-related and require different treatment approaches depending on the cause. One possible method of healing is a 3D-printed zinc scaffold, which is being developed by Chinese experts from Beihang University, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University and Peking University to treat large bone defects. The project is supported by the Chinese company Bright Laser Technologies (BLT) with its 3D printing machines and systems.

These 3D-printed, porous zinc structures offer an innovative approach to repairing bone defects through bone regeneration. However, a major challenge to date has been the rapid degradation of the zinc structures, which has led to toxicity. For this reason, the composition of the alloy, the surface structure and the pore geometry of the scaffolds have now been optimized.

3D-gedrucktes Zinkgerüst

The degradation behavior of the 3D printed zinc scaffolds in rat femur after three days and three months (image credits: Li, S., Yang, H., Qu, X. et al. Multiscale architecture design of 3D printed biodegradable Zn-based porous scaffolds for immunomodulatory osteogenesis.Nat Commun 15, 3131, 2024.)

In the last three years, the researchers have worked on developing novel, biodegradable zinc alloys (Zn-Li) that can be used to 3D print these frameworks. The Zn-Li alloys (0.8% Li by weight) offer mechanical properties and a good balance between strength, plasticity and corrosion behavior. The frameworks were manufactured using BLT’s L-PBF system, which enables precise designs and complex structures.