Research Progress in 3D Printed Biobased and Biodegradable Polyester/Ceramic Composite Materials - Applications and Challenges in Bone Tissue Engineering

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

Transplantation of bone implants remains a highly effective option for treating bone defects. Biobased and biodegradable polyester composites leverage the mechanical strength and degradability of polyester, offering an alternative material platform. Bone tissue engineering (BTE) promotes defect repair by mimicking the bone microenvironment, while composite scaffolds support bone formation and accelerate regeneration. 3D printing enables precise, reproducible, and flexible scaffold fabrication, and this review summarizes recent strategies, future directions, and clinical scale-up challenges for polyester/ceramic composites.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Bone defects and limitations of conventional grafts

Bone structure and remodeling mechanisms

Review focus

BTE scaffolds and composite strategies

3D printing enabling scaffold design

Comparison of typical bone implant materials

Applications, challenges, and future prospects

. [www.acsami.org](www.acsami.org) Review Research Progress in 3D Printed Biobased and Biodegradable Polyester/Ceramic Composite Materials: Applications and Challenges in Bone Tissue Engineering Shunshun Zhu, Hongnan Sun, * Taihua Mu, * and Aurore Richel Cite This: [https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c15719](https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c15719) Read Online ACCESS Metrics & More Article Recommendations ABSTRACT: Transplantation of bone implants is currently recognized as one of the most effective means of treating bone defects. Biobased and biodegradable polyester composites combine the good mechanical and degradable properties of polyester, thereby providing an alternative for bone implant materials. Bone tissue engineering (BTE) accelerates bone defect repair by simulating the bone microenvironment. Composite scaffolds support bone formation and further accelerate the process of bone repair. The introduction of 3D printing technology enables the preparation of scaffolds to be more precise, reproducible, and flexible, which is avery promising development. This review presents the physical properties of BTE scaffoldsand summarizes the strategies adopted by domestic and international scholars to improve the properties of scaffolds based on biobased and biodegradable polyester/ceramic composites in recent years. In addition, future development prospects in the field and the challenges of expanding production in clinical applications are presented. KEYWORDS: polyester, ceramic, 3D printing, functional nanomaterials, bone tissue engineering scaffolds, bone defect regeneration 1. INTRODUCTION With the change in modern dietary structure, an aging population, and an accelerated pace of social life, orthopedic diseases, such as bone fractures, bone tumors, and osteoporosis, have gradually become one of the most important problems affecting human health. Middle-aged and elderly people have serious bone health problems, with a prevalence rate of 32% among people over 65 years of age.1 The strength of bones decreases as humans age, and their associated defects and diseases become more prominent with age. Although bones have their own healing/regenerative ability to repair small bone defects, large-sized bone defects caused by accidents, bone tumor removal, or injuries are not easily healed by the bone itself. When a bone defect exceeds 6 cm, it cannot heal itself.2 One of the methods of healing large defects is the use of autogenous bone grafting.3,4 This approach has limitations, including high donor site morbidity, limited numbers, and secondary injury. In addition, patients facing major bone defects caused by severe trauma or infectious disease rely on the surgical implantation of an exogenous bone result, researchers in different fields have been exploring alternative methods to heal large bone defects and have developed tissue engineering (TE) techniques, which are now widely used in the biomedical field (Figure 1). As the field of TE continues to be researched and developed, it has become an area of interest in repairing skeletal defects for more effective and predictable medical practice in the future. Bones are mainly composed of long bones (composed of diaphysis, epiphysis, and metaphysis), flat bone (such as skull and scapula), periosteum, and medullary cavity. According to the function, it can be divided into load-bearing bone (such asthe femur) and protective bone (such as the skull). The microstructure is divided into bone matrix, osteon, cells (osteoblasts, osteoclasts, osteocytes, osteoprogenitors cells, etc. ), blood vessels and nerves, trabeculae, etc.8,9 In the process of growth, repair, and adaptation to external mechanical stress, bone is driven by the dynamic balance of osteogenesis andosteoclast, which is a biological process to maintain the dynamic balance of bone tissue. 10 The core of bone remodeling is the coupling of osteogenesis and osteoclast Downloaded via CHINESE ACADEMY

FAQs

Why are biobased and biodegradable polyester/ceramic composite materials important for bone implants?

They combine polyester’s good mechanical properties with biodegradability, providing an alternative material for bone implant applications.

How does bone tissue engineering (BTE) support repair of bone defects?

BTE accelerates repair by simulating the bone microenvironment, and composite scaffolds support bone formation and further speed up regeneration.

What advantages does 3D printing bring to BTE scaffold preparation?

3D printing allows scaffolds to be fabricated with greater precision, reproducibility, and flexibility, supporting more effective defect repair.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret