Page 195 - IJB-10-4

International

Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Horsetail-inspired lattice structures for bone

scaffold applications

Seng Leong Adrian Tan , Miao Zhao *, Zhendong Li , Zhonggang Wang ,
1
2
3
3
Xinwei Li *, and Wei Zhai 1
4
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University
of Singapore, Singapore
2 School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology
of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
3
School of Traffic & Transportation Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
4 Faculty of Science, Agriculture, & Engineering, Newcastle University, Singapore
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Special Issue of International Journal of Bioprinting in the BDMC
2023 Conference)
Abstract

A well-design bone scaffold is critical for facilitating post in vivo implantation
recovery. Key factors, such as elastic moduli matching to alleviate stress shielding,
anisotropic characteristics, and sufficient porosity for cell ingrowth, shape the
design consideration for bone scaffolds. Herein, we propose a novel body-centered
cubic (BCC) lattice with modified horsetail inspired cross-section strut members as
the building block for synthetic bone scaffold application. We demonstrated that
geometrical parameters can be varied to attain expected desirable mechanical
*Corresponding authors: properties. We also successfully matched the performance of the physical
Miao Zhao
(zhaomiao@uestc.edu.cn) compression tests of Ti-6Al-4V-based samples manufactured using selective laser
melting to that of the simulation environment to facilitate design. Through our work,
Xinwei Li
(xinwei.li@newcastle.ac.uk) we created Ti-6Al-4V-based lattices, which match the mechanical performance of
native bone in terms of elastic moduli and yield strength. Biologically, the lattices
Citation: Tan SLA, Zhao M, Li Z,
Wang Z, Li X, Zhai W. Horsetail- provide in-strut pore dimensions that facilitate bone cell ingrowth as well as yield
inspired lattice structures for point that is beyond the strain required to promote secondary healing. The good
bone scaffold applications. energy absorption capability of our lattices also adds resilience to accidental damage
Int J Bioprint. 2024;10(4):2326. when applied for use in bone scaffold design. We also discovered that the isotropy
doi: 10.36922/ijb.2326
characteristic is decoupled from the outer radius of the designed lattice; this avoids
Received: November 28, 2023 convolution that would otherwise increase design difficulties. Through this novel
Accepted: February 6, 2024 design, the tuning of the mechanical properties to attain the key considerations with
Published Online: March 13, 2024
geometrical variations is made possible.
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the Keywords: Lattice tuning; Bone scaffold manufacturing; Selective laser melting;
Creative Commons Attribution Nature-inspired structure; Horsetail
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited.
1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with The treatment of bone defects is a long-standing process given the accidents and
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional the possibility of disease occurrences throughout a human’s lifetime. Along with the
affiliations. decreasing birthrates and increasing life expectancy, the current world population is

Volume 10 Issue 4 (2024) 187 doi: 10.36922/ijb.2326