Flash sintering of ZrO2 scaffolds obtained by 3D printing for tissue bioengineering

• Grant number: 22/05031-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Eliria Maria de Jesus Agnolon Pallone
• Grantee: Fabio Caixeta Nunes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The search for alternative treatments involving the application of biomaterials in tissue engineering and regenerative therapies is becoming increasingly common due to the increase in bone tissue-related diseases. In this context, the development and use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, popularly known as 3D printing, in the processing of biomaterials has been increasingly researched. In parallel, alternative electric or magnetic field-assisted sintering techniques, such as Flash Sintering (FS), reduce sintering time and temperature, thus enabling ceramic materials to achieve high densification while consuming less energy. With this in mind, this study combines 3D printing and FS and produces porous three-dimensional structures, called scaffolds, from the 3D printing of ZrO2 (stabilized with 3% in mol of yttria - 3Y-ZTP) with the addition of small amounts of Al2O3 (0.10 to 0.20 wt.%) coated and uncoated with calcium phosphates for biomedical applications. For this purpose, 3D printing and FS parameters will be determined as well as characterizations of physical, chemical, mechanical, morphological, microstructural, and biological properties of the scaffolds. Therefore, the use of this route opens a wide horizon for the processing of ceramic scaffolds for tissue regeneration or repair.