Fabrication of a zirconia/calcium silicate composite scaffold based on digital light processing

Zirconia (ZrO 2 ) and calcium silicate (CS) are widely used in bone repair. Zirconia has excellent mechanical properties , while calcium silicate has exceptional biological activity. A porous ZrO 2 /CS composite ceramic scaffold was formed by digital light processing (DLP) technology in this study. The microstructure analysis demonstrated that CS was embedded between ZrO 2 particles. Mechanical tests showed that interconnected CS particles could improve mechanical properties, while discrete CS particles led to a decrease in that. Cell experiments showed that adding CS to ZrO 2 had a positive effect on cell proliferation and differentiation. In vitro degradation test showed that the weight loss of scaffolds in four weeks increased form −0.63%–1.42% with the increase of CS content. Moreover, the degradation of scaffold promoted the deposition of apatite , which was beneficial to the integration of the scaffold with living bone. In conclusion, the ZrO 2 /CS composite scaffold had better biocompatibility compared with the ZrO 2 scaffold, which showed a potential solution for 3D printing bone repair scaffolds.