Performance evaluation of 3D-printed PLA composites doped with WE43 magnesium alloy for bone tissue engineering applications

This study presents a comprehensive performance evaluation of 3D-printed PLA/WE43 magnesium alloy composites, offering novel insights into composition–structure–function relationships for bone tissue engineering. PLA and WE43 composite filaments, containing various magnesium concentrations (5 %, 10 %, and 15 %), were produced using solvent evaporation and extrusion methods. The 3D-printed scaffolds were assessed for mechanical strength, porosity, biodegradability, bioactivity, and biocompatibility. Incorporating magnesium into PLA for 3D printing significantly affected the composites' dimensional stability and formation quality. While a low Mg content (5 %) only slightly impacted the print quality and dimensions, higher Mg concentrations (10 % and 15 %) led to increased weight, rougher surfaces, dimensional shrinkage in height, and overall poorer formation quality. Adding WE43 alloy to PLA decreased the average pore sizes of the composites. The results from the compression study showed that increasing magnesium content showed improved mechanical properties, with 15 % WE43 showing the highest strength value of 740.6 MPa and elastic modulus of 6.45 GPa. Also, significant calcium phosphate deposition was observed in the bioactivity study and higher degradation was observed for higher magnesium content scaffolds. In vitro studies revealed that the 10 % WE43 scaffolds showed good interaction with cells, forming clusters and higher viability. These findings suggest that 3DP of 10 % PLA/WE43 composites offers a promising potential for bone tissue engineering, balancing print quality, mechanical strength, bioactivity, and biodegradability.