The Controllable Three-Dimensional Printing of Graphene/Nano-Hydroxyapatite Composite Scaffolds

Ao Shi; Ting Huang

doi:10.6919/ICJE.202504_11(4).0046

Authors

Ao Shi
Ting Huang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6919/ICJE.202504_11(4).0046

Keywords:

Gas-extruded 3D Printing; Bone Regenerating Scaffolds; Graphene; Micro Electrodes.

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has garnered widespread attention in materials design and manufacturing due to its advantages of convenience, precision, speed, strong controllability, and ability to design and fabricate complex structures. In-depth research and development of 3D printing for various functional materials have significant implications. In this study, a gas-extrusion-based 3D printer was used to successfully fabricate graphene/hydroxyapatite (HA) composite scaffolds, exploring their potential applications in bone tissue engineering and lithium batteries. Graphene oxide (GO) aqueous solution was prepared using the Hummers method, followed by concentration and mixing with sodium alginate (SA) to form graphene hydrogel. Subsequently, different amounts of HA nanoparticles were added to fabricate HA/GO-SA and GO-SA composite scaffolds using gas-extrusion-based 3D printing. The scaffolds exhibited a well-ordered, interconnected macroporous structure, with HA/GO-SA scaffold pore diameters of approximately 300 μm and GO-SA scaffold pore diameters of approximately 500 μm, confirming the printability of graphene hydrogel. The compressive strength of the scaffolds was generally low, but the GO-SA scaffolds demonstrated certain elasticity. GO and GO-SA scaffolds were reduced using thermal and chemical reduction methods, and after HI reduction, the mechanical strength of the scaffolds was improved. Four-probe testing results confirmed that the conductivity of the reduced scaffolds was significantly enhanced.

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