Abstract
This paper aims to investigate the novel Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA)/bioceramics composites fabricated using stereolithography (SLA) for load-bearing tissue engineering applications. PEGDA hydrogel resins loaded with 1 wt% content of hydroxyapatite (HAP), calcium phosphate (CaP), and graphite (Gr) have been developed and characterized by rheological and sedimentation tests. PEGDA/bioceramics composites were characterized by mechanical, tribological, physical, and biological tests. It was found that PEGDA/HAP composite has a high tensile strength (79.1% improvement) and flexural strength (219.4% improvement), and PEGDA/Gr composite has high compressive strength (150.3% improvement) compared to unfilled PEGDA. The fractography analysis revealed that brittle fracture occurred in PEGDA and PEGDA/bioceramics composites specimens. Besides this, PEGDA and its composites are found to be thermally stable up to the temperature of ~187°C. Among all, PEGDA/Gr composite showed high compressive strength, wear resistance, low friction force, and high wettability. Additionally, PEGDA/Gr composite was found to be non-toxic, supported cellular growth, and showed similar biocompatibility as unfilled PEGDA and other composites. Thus, a comparative study has investigated the suitability and feasibility of PEGDA/bioceramic composite for tissue engineering applications.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
