Fabrication and Printability of PCL-Based Composite Filaments for Tissue Engineering Application
摘要
Polycaprolactone (PCL) is widely used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, PCL has limitations in terms of mechanical properties and hydrophobicity, leading to challenges in bone tissue engineering applications and low cell adhesion. To enhance the properties of PCL, other materials such as ceramics and hydrogels are mixed with it. Materials in filament form are commonly available only for pure PCL, not for composite materials. To enable the use of PCL composites on conventional FDM 3D printers and expand the application range of these printers with biomaterials, this study focuses on the design and fabrication of a filament generator to directly produce PCL-based composite filament from a powder mixture. The effect of extrusion parameters on filament diameter and morphology was determined. Experiments evaluating the filament’s uniformity and printability were conducted, demonstrating the potential application of the filament generator and composite filament in tissue engineering.