ZrO2-CPS/ZrO2 graded composite ceramics with high osteoinductivity for dental implants fabricated by stereolithography

Promoting mechanical strength and osteoinductivity properties is crucial for dental implants materials. Herein, we synthesized silicocarnotite (CPS) powder via a hydrothermal method, and mixed it with zirconia to create a composite material for preparing four slurries: xCPS-(1−x)ZrO 2 (x = 0, 1/6, 1/3, and 1/2 vol%). The optimal printing parameters for each slurry were investigated. Following the printing of the slurries, debinding was performed on them in the temperature range of 25 °C–600 °C in nitrogen atmosphere and 600 °C–1000 °C in air atmosphere, respectively, followed by sintering at 1350 °C for 2 h. The graded zirconia-based composite ceramics prepared using stereolithography (SLA) exhibited excellent mechanical properties, including a flexural strength of 742.37 ± 22.52 MPa, Vickers hardness of 7.29 ± 0.15 GPa, fracture toughness of 5.34 ± 0.29 MPa m 1/2 , and a relative density of 96.3 %. Compared with zirconia ceramics, the graded composite ceramics displayed higher surface roughness. The graded composite ceramics degraded and released Ca, Si, and P ions, promoting MC3T3-E1 cells proliferation, adhesion, and osteogenic differentiation. These findings suggest that ZrO 2 -CPS/ZrO 2 graded composite ceramics synthesized via SLA holds great potential as dental implants with high osteoinductivity.