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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Powder Loading Effects on the Physicochemical and

Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Poly Lactic

Acid/Hydroxyapatite Biocomposites

Cyron L. Custodio , Phoebeliza Jane M. Broñola , Sharyjel R. Cayabyab , Vivian U. Lagura ,
1
1,2
1
1
Josefina R. Celorico , and Blessie A. Basilia *
1,2
1
1 Materials Science Division, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Bicutan,
Taguig City 1631, Philippines
2 School of Graduate Studies, Mapúa University, Manila 1002, Philippines
Abstract: This study presents the physicochemical and mechanical behavior of incorporating hydroxyapatite (HAp) with
polylactic acid (PLA) matrix in 3D printed PLA/HAp composite materials. Effects of powder loading to the composition,
crystallinity, morphology, and mechanical properties were observed. HAp was synthesized from locally sourced nanoprecipitated
calcium carbonate and served as the filler for the PLA matrix. The 0, 5, 10, and 15 wt. % HAp biocomposite filaments were
formed using a twin-screw extruder. The resulting filaments were 3D printed in an Ultimaker S5 machine utilizing a fused
deposition modeling technology. Successful incorporation of HAp and PLA was observed using infrared spectroscopy and
X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanical properties of pure PLA had improved on the incorporation of 15% HAp; from 32.7
to 47.3 MPa in terms of tensile strength; and 2.3 to 3.5 GPa for stiffness. Moreover, the preliminary in vitro bioactivity test
of the 3D printed PLA/HAp biocomposite samples in simulated body fluid (SBF) indicated varying weight gains and the
presence of apatite species’ XRD peaks. The HAp particles embedded in the PLA matrix acted as nucleation sites for the
deposition of salts and apatite species from the SBF solution.
Keywords: Hydroxyapatite; Polylactic acid; 3D printing; Simulated body fluid

*Correspondence to: Blessie A. Basilia, Materials Science Division, Industrial Technology Development Institute, Department of Science and
Technology, Bicutan, Taguig City 1631, Philippines; basiliablessie@gmail.com
Received: November 6, 2020; Accepted: January 15, 2021; Published Online: January 28, 2021

Citation: Custodio CL, Broñola PJM, Cayabyab SR, et al., 2021, Powder Loading Effects on the Physicochemical and
Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Poly Lactic Acid/Hydroxyapatite Biocomposites. Int J Bioprint, 7(1):326. http://doi.
org/10.18063/ijb.v7i1.326

1. Introduction Industries where 3D printing has been involved
include aerospace, automotive and transportation [1,2] ,
Additive manufacturing, popularly known as military, medicine [3,4] , construction [5,6] , practical household
three-dimensional (3D) printing, is a relatively useful items, and even clothing. All 3D printing technology
and modern technology that promises excellent print the object on some build platform that adjusts in
complex architectural control without requiring height equal to the thickness of the layer being printed .
[7]
molds or templates, and the ability to tailor-fit designs The coordinated printing motion relies on a 3D pattern
depending on the demands specified by the end-user. created with a computer-aided design (CAD) software.
The fabrication technology is mostly used for rapid A variety of printing techniques have been available for
prototyping to realize proof of concept ideas before research, such as stereolithography (SLA) , selective
[8]
large scale manufacturing. Another notable use of 3D laser sintering (SLS) , and fused deposition modeling
[9]
printing is in the low-volume production of specific (FDM) , to name a few. SLA utilizes ultraviolet (UV)
[10]
parts for specialized needs. light to polymerize and cure its liquid photoactive
© 2021 Custodio, et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the
original work is properly cited.
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