Binder Jetting 3D Printing of Binary Cement-Siliceous Sand Mixture.

Three-dimensional printing allows accurate geometries to be obtained across a wide range of applications and it is now also moving into the architecture and construction industry. In the present work, a unique binary mix composed of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and quick-setting cement (QSC) was combined with silica sand aggregate in different proportions for a customized binder jetting 3D printing (BJ3DP) process. Specimens were printed using the blended dry powders and deionized water to determine the impact of the processing variables on the properties of the realized specimens. The results show that the properties are influenced by the binary mix proportions and the layer thickness. The investigation found significant improvement in mechanical performance on increasing the proportion of OPC and optimal conditions were identified with proportions of 35 wt% OPC and 5 wt% QSC. Notable enhancements were also observed as the layer thickness was reduced.

Apatite/Chitosan Composites Formed by Cold Sintering for Drug Delivery and Bone Tissue Engineering Applications.

In the biomedical field, nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite is still one of the most attractive candidates as a bone substitute material due to its analogies with native bone mineral features regarding chemical composition, bioactivity and osteoconductivity. Ion substitution and low crystallinity are also fundamental characteristics of bone apatite, making it metastable, bioresorbable and reactive. In the present work, biomimetic apatite and apatite/chitosan composites were produced by dissolution-precipitation synthesis, using mussel shells as a calcium biogenic source. With an eye on possible bone reconstruction and drug delivery applications, apatite/chitosan composites were loaded with strontium ranelate, an antiosteoporotic drug. Due to the metastability and temperature sensitivity of the produced composites, sintering could be carried out by conventional methods, and therefore, cold sintering was selected for the densification of the materials. The composites were consolidated up to ~90% relative density by applying a uniaxial pressure up to 1.5 GPa at room temperature for 10 min. Both the synthesised powders and cold-sintered samples were characterised from a physical and chemical point of view to demonstrate the effective production of biomimetic apatite/chitosan composites from mussel shells and exclude possible structural changes after sintering. Preliminary in vitro tests were also performed, which revealed a sustained release of strontium ranelate for about 19 days and no cytotoxicity towards human osteoblastic-like cells (MG63) exposed up to 72 h to the drug-containing composite extract.

Mo-Doped LSCF as a Novel Coke-Resistant Anode for Biofuel-Fed SOFC.

Climate change and damage to the environment, as well as the limitations of fossil fuels, have pushed governments to explore infinite renewable energy options such as biofuels. Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is a sustainable energy device that transforms biofuels into power and heat. It is now being researched to function at intermediate temperatures (600-700 °C) in order to prevent material deterioration and improve system life span. However, one of the major disadvantages of reducing the temperature is that carbon deposition impairs the electrochemical performance of the cell with a Ni-YSZ traditional anode. Here, molybdenum was doped into La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCFMo) as an innovative anode material with higher coke resistance and better phase stability under reducing conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed increasing phase stability by increasing the Mo dopant. Electrochemical measurements proved that the LSCFMo anode is an active catalyst towards the methanol oxidation even at low temperatures as 600 °C, with an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 0.55 V, while GDC10 (Ga0.9Ce0.1O1.95) is used as the electrolyte. As an insightful result, no trace of any carbon deposition was found on the anode side after the tests. The combination of phase composition, morphological, and electrochemical studies demonstrate that LSCFMo is a suitable anode material for SOFCs fed by biofuels.

Powder 3D Printing of Bone Scaffolds with Uniform and Gradient Pore Sizes Using Cuttlebone-Derived Calcium Phosphate and Glass-Ceramic.

The pore geometry of bone scaffolds has a major impact on their cellular response; for this reason, 3D printing is an attractive technology for bone tissue engineering, as it allows for the full control and design of the porosity. Calcium phosphate materials synthesized from natural sources have recently attracted a certain interest because of their similarity to natural bone, and they were found to show better bioactivity than synthetic compounds. Nevertheless, these materials are very challenging to be processed by 3D printing due to technological issues related to their nanometric size. In this work, bone scaffolds with different pore geometries, with a uniform size or with a size gradient, were fabricated by binder jetting 3D printing using a biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) nanopowder derived from cuttlebones. To do so, the nanopowder was mixed with a glass-ceramic powder with a larger particle size (45-100 µm) in 1:10 weight proportions. Pure AP40mod scaffolds were also printed. The sintered scaffolds were shown to be composed mainly by hydroxyapatite (HA) and wollastonite, with the amount of HA being larger when the nanopowder was added because BCP transforms into HA during sintering at 1150 °C. The addition of bio-derived powder increases the porosity from 60% to 70%, with this indicating that the nanoparticles slow down the glass-ceramic densification. Human mesenchymal stem cells were seeded on the scaffolds to test the bioactivity in vitro. The cells' number and metabolic activity were analyzed after 3, 5 and 10 days of culturing. The cellular behavior was found to be very similar for samples with different pore geometries and compositions. However, while the cell number was constantly increasing, the metabolic activity on the scaffolds with gradient pores and cuttlebone-derived powder decreased over time, which might be a sign of cell differentiation. Generally, all scaffolds promoted fast cell adhesion and proliferation, which were found to penetrate and colonize the 3D porous structure.

Speedy bioceramics: Rapid densification of tricalcium phosphate by ultrafast high-temperature sintering.

Due to unique osteogenic properties, tricalcium phosphate (TCP) has gained relevance in the field of bone repair. The development of novel and rapid sintering routes is of particular interest since TCP undergoes to high-temperature phase transitions and is widely employed in osteoconductive coatings on thermally-sensitive metal substrates. In the present work, TCP bioceramics was innovatively obtained by Ultrafast High-temperature Sintering (UHS). Ca-deficient hydroxyapatite nano-powder produced by mechanochemical synthesis of mussel shell-derived calcium carbonate was used to prepare the green samples by uniaxial pressing. These were introduced within a graphite felt which was rapidly heated by an electrical current flow, reaching heating rates exceeding 1200 °C min-1. Dense (> 93%) ceramics were manufactured in less than 3 min using currents between 25 and 30 A. Both ß and α-TCP were detected in the sintered components with proportions depending on the applied current. Preliminary tests confirmed that the artifacts do not possess cytotoxic effects and possess mechanical properties similar to conventionally sintered materials. The overall results prove the applicability of UHS to bioceramics paving the way to new rapid processing routes for biomedical components.

Controlling the Thermal Stability of Kyanite-Based Refractory Geopolymers.

The present project investigated the thermal stability of cold-setting refractory composites under high-temperature cycles. The proposed route dealt with the feasibility of using fillers with different particle sizes and studying their influence on the thermo-mechanical properties of refractory geopolymer composites. The volumetric shrinkage was studied with respect to particle sizes of fillers (80, 200 and 500 µm), treatment temperature (1050-1250 °C) and amount of fillers (70-85 wt.%). The results, combined with thermal analysis, indicated the efficiency of refractory-based kyanite aggregates for enhancing thermo-mechanical properties. At low temperatures, larger amounts of kyanite aggregates promoted mechanical strength development. Flexural strengths of 45, 42 and 40 MPa were obtained for geopolymer samples, respectively, at 1200 °C, made with filler particles sieved at 80, 200 and 500 µm. In addition, a sintering temperature equal to 1200 °C appeared beneficial for the promotion of densification as well as bonding between kyanite aggregates and the matrix, contributing to the reinforcement of the refractory geopolymer composites without any sign of vitrification. From the obtained properties of thermal stability, good densification and high strength, kyanite aggregates are efficient and promising candidates for the production of environmentally friendly, castable refractory composites.

Flash Sintering of YSZ/Al2O3 Composites: Effect of Processing and Testing Conditions.

The flash sintering behavior of yttria-stabilized zirconia/alumina composites was investigated to understand the role of the fundamental processing and testing parameters (electric field intensity, electric current limit, thermal insulation, homogeneity and dispersion of the two phases) on densification. A strong relation between the composite compositions and the electric parameters needed to promote flash sintering is revealed. Interestingly, the composite preparation method, which affects the two-phases dispersion homogeneity, was shown to have a relevant effect on the flash onset conditions, where the more homogeneous material is more difficult to be flashed. Moreover, the use of a simple thermal insulation system around the green body allowed to improve the final density of the composites under constant electric current.

Nano-Hydroxyapatite Derived from Biogenic and Bioinspired Calcium Carbonates: Synthesis and In Vitro Bioactivity.

Biogenic calcium carbonates naturally contain ions that can be beneficial for bone regeneration and therefore are attractive resources for the production of bioactive calcium phosphates. In the present work, cuttlefish bones, mussel shells, chicken eggshells and bioinspired amorphous calcium carbonate were used to synthesize hydroxyapatite nano-powders which were consolidated into cylindrical pellets by uniaxial pressing and sintering 800-1100 °C. Mineralogical, structural and chemical composition were studied by SEM, XRD, inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectroscopy (ICP/OES). The results show that the phase composition of the sintered materials depends on the Ca/P molar ratio and on the specific CaCO3 source, very likely associated with the presence of some doping elements like Mg2+ in eggshell and Sr2+ in cuttlebone. Different CaCO3 sources also resulted in variable densification and sintering temperature. Preliminary in vitro tests were carried out (by the LDH assay) and they did not reveal any cytotoxic effects, while good cell adhesion and proliferation was observed at day 1, 3 and 5 after seeding through confocal microscopy. Among the different tested materials, those derived from eggshells and sintered at 900 °C promoted the best cell adhesion pattern, while those from cuttlebone and amorphous calcium carbonate showed round-shaped cells and poorer cell-to-cell interconnection.

Gd/Sm-Pr Co-Doped Ceria: A First Report of the Precipitation Method Effect on Flash Sintering.

In this work, ceria-based ceramics with the composition Gd0.14Pr0.06Ce0.8O2-δ and Sm0.14Pr0.06Ce0.8O2-δ, were synthesized by a simple co-precipitation process using either ammonium carbonate or ammonia solution as a precipitating agent. After the calcination, all of the produced samples were constituted by fluorite-structured ceria only, thus showing that both dopant and co-dopant cations were dissolved in the fluorite lattice. The ceria-based nanopowders were uniaxially compacted and consequently flash-sintered using different electrical cycles (including current-ramps). Different results were obtained as a function of both the adopted precipitating agent and the applied electrical cycle. In particular, highly densified products were obtained using current-ramps instead of "traditional" flash treatments (with the power source switching from voltage to current control at the flash event). Moreover, the powders that were synthesized using ammonia solution exhibited a low tendency to hotspot formation, whereas the materials obtained using carbonates as the precipitating agent were highly inhomogeneous. This points out for the first time the unexpected relevance of the precipitating agent (and of the powder shape/degree of agglomeration) for the flash sintering behavior.

Investigation of Electrochemical, Optical and Thermal Effects during Flash Sintering of 8YSZ.

This paper reports the electrochemical, optical and thermal effects occurring during flash sintering of 8 mol % yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ). In-situ observations of polycrystalline and single crystal specimens revealed electrochemical blackening/darkening during an incubation period prior to flash sintering. The phenomenon is induced by cathodic partial reduction under DC fields. When using a low frequency AC field (0.1⁻10 Hz) the blackening is reversible, following the imposed polarity switching. Thermal imaging combined with sample colour changes and electrical conductivity mapping give a complete picture of the multi-physical phenomena occurring during each stage of the flash sintering event. The partial reduction at the cathode causes a modification of the electrical properties in the sample and the blackened regions, which are close to the cathode, are more conductive than the remainder of the sample. The asymmetrical nature of the electrochemical reactions follows the field polarity and causes an asymmetry in the temperature between the anode and cathode, with the positive electrode tending to overheat. It is also observed that the phenomena are influenced by the quality of the electrical contacts and by the atmosphere used.

Synthesis and characterization of strontium-substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for bone regeneration.

The production of stable suspensions of strontium-substituted hydroxyapatite (Sr-HA) nanopowders, as Sr ions vector for bone tissue regeneration, was carried out in the present work. Sr-HA nanopowders were synthesized via aqueous precipitation methods using Sr2+ amount from 0 to 100mol% and were characterized by several complementary techniques such as solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, N2 physisorption and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The substitution of Ca2+ with Sr2+ in HA is always isomorphic with gradual evolution between the two limit compositions (containing 100% Ca and 100% Sr), this pointing out the homogeneity of the synthesized nanopowders and the complete solubility of strontium in HA lattice. Strontium addition is responsible for an increasing c/a ratio in the triclinic unit cell. A significant variation of the nanopowders shape and dimension is also observed, a preferential growth along the c-axis direction being evident at higher strontium loads. Modifications in the local chemical environment of phosphate and hydroxyl groups in the apatite lattice are also observed. Stable suspensions were produced by dispersing the synthesized nanopowders in bovine serum albumin. Characterization by Dynamic Light Scattering and ζ-potential determination allowed to show that Ca2+→Sr2+ substitution influences the hydrodynamic diameter, which is always twice the particles size determined by TEM, the nanoparticles being always negatively charged as a result from the albumin rearrangement upon the interaction with nanoparticles surface. The biocompatibility of the suspensions was studied in terms of cell viability, apoptosis, proliferation and morphology, using osteosarcoma cell line SAOS-2. The data pointed out an increased cell proliferation for HA nanoparticles containing larger Sr2+ load, the cells morphology remaining essentially unaffected.

Effect of Mg(2+) doping on beta-alpha phase transition in tricalcium phosphate (TCP) bioceramics.

The beta to alpha transition in tricalcium phosphate (TCP) bioceramics containing different amount of magnesium was studied in the present work. Mg-doped TCP powder was obtained by solid-state reaction starting from pure calcium carbonate, ammonium phosphate dibasic and magnesium oxide powders. The ß to α transformation temperature was identified by dilatometric and thermo-differential analyses. Small pellets produced by uniaxial pressing samples were employed to study the influence of Mg(2+) on the transition kinetic, after sintering at 1550°C and subsequent slow or fast cooling down to room temperature. The evolution of ß- and α-TCP crystalline phases during each thermal treatment was determined by X-ray powder diffraction analysis combined with Rietveld method-based software An annealing treatment, suitable to reconvert metastable α phase to the more clinically suitable ß phase, was also investigated. It is shown that the presence of magnesium within the TCP lattice strongly influences the kinetic of the ß⇆α phase transition, promoting the spontaneous αâ†’ß reconversion even upon fast cooling, or slowing down the ß→α transition during heating. Similarly, it allows the αâ†’ß transformation in TCP sintered components by optimized annealing treatment at 850°C. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This work concerns the effect of Mg(2+) doping on the ß→α phase reconstructive transition in tricalcium phosphate (TCP), one of the most important bio-resorbable materials for bone tissue regeneration. The transition occurs upon the sintering process and is has been shown to be strongly irreversible upon cooling, leading to technological issues such as poor mechanical properties and excessive solubility due to the presence of metastable α-phase. This paper points out the kinetic contribution of Mg(2+) on the spontaneous αâ†’ß reconversion also upon fast cooling (i.e. quenching). Moreover, an annealing treatment has been shown to be beneficial to remove the retained α-phase in sintered TCP components, the presence of Mg promoting the reconversion process.

Processing and characterization of diatom nanoparticles and microparticles as potential source of silicon for bone tissue engineering.

Silicon plays an important role in bone formation and maintenance, improving osteoblast cell function and inducing mineralization. Often, bone deformation and long bone abnormalities have been associated with silica/silicon deficiency. Diatomite, a natural deposit of diatom skeleton, is a cheap and abundant source of biogenic silica. The aim of the present study is to validate the potential of diatom particles derived from diatom skeletons as silicon-donor materials for bone tissue engineering applications. Raw diatomite (RD) and calcined diatomite (CD) powders were purified by acid treatments, and diatom microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) were produced by fragmentation of purified diatoms under alkaline conditions. The influence of processing on the surface chemical composition of purified diatomites was evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Diatoms NPs were also characterized in terms of morphology and size distribution by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic light scattering (DLS), while diatom MPs morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Surface area and microporosity of the diatom particles were evaluated by nitrogen physisorption methods. Release of silicon ions from diatom-derived particles was demonstrated using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP/OES); furthermore, silicon release kinetic was found to be influenced by diatomite purification method and particle size. Diatom-derived microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) showed limited or no cytotoxic effect in vitro depending on the administration conditions.

Design of Inorganic Polymer Mortar from Ferricalsialic and Calsialic Slags for Indoor Humidity Control.

Amorphous silica and alumina of metakaolin are used to adjust the bulk composition of black (BSS) and white (WSS) steel slag to prepare alkali-activated (AAS) mortars consolidated at room temperature. The mix-design also includes also the addition of semi-crystalline matrix of river sand to the metakaolin/steel powders. The results showed that high strength of the steel slag/metakaolin mortars can be achieved with the geopolymerization process which was particularly affected by the metallic iron present into the steel slag. The corrosion of the Fe particles was found to be responsible for porosity in the range between 0.1 and 10 µm. This class of porosity dominated (~31 vol %) the pore network of B compared to W samples (~16 vol %). However, W series remained with the higher cumulative pore volume (0.18 mL/g) compared to B series, with 0.12 mL/g. The maximum flexural strength was 6.89 and 8.51 MPa for the W and B series, respectively. The fracture surface ESEM observations of AAS showed large grains covered with the matrix assuming the good adhesion bonds between the gel-like geopolymer structure mixed with alkali activated steel slag and the residual unreacted portion. The correlation between the metallic iron/Fe oxides content, the pore network development, the strength and microstructure suggested the steel slag's significant action into the strengthening mechanism of consolidated products. These products also showed an interesting adsorption/desorption behavior that suggested their use as coating material to maintain the stability of the indoor relative humidity.

A new HA/TTCP material for bone augmentation: an in vivo histological pilot study in primates sinus grafting.

OBJECTIVE: Synthetic calcium phosphate bone substitutes are widely used in sinus graft procedures due to their osteoconductive and biocompatible properties. Hydroxyapatite (HA), beta-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP), and HA/ß-TCP composite are the most applied materials. The aim of this study was to propose a new mineralogical formulation, HA/tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP), as biomaterial for bone regeneration in the maxillary sinus. METHODS: Sinus grafts were performed by using granules of a HA/TTCP blend and a collagen membrane. Bone response at time points of 14 and 17 weeks was histologically evaluated. RESULTS: After 14 weeks of healing, histomorphometric analysis showed the formation of new bone trabeculae among HA/TTCP granules. After 17 weeks, the bone trabeculae were thicker and HA/TTCP granules were still present. Histomorphometric analysis revealed a bone graft contact (BGC) of 64%. CONCLUSIONS: After 17 weeks from implantation, HA/TTCP synthetic bone graft performed very well as osteoconductive material: BGC was found very high, and bone volume and vital bone showed an ideal bone density for implant placement. HA/TTCP granules are accounted for to accelerate new bone formation and to reduce the time needed for the graft healing, thus achieving high quantity of the new bone formed.