Frontiers in Biodegradable Materials and Their Processing

A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials for Drug Delivery".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 10312

Special Issue Editor

UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
Interests: surface engineering; advanced manufacturing; modelling; biomanufacturing; surface integrity; corrosion; biomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As an alternative to performant implants, biodegradable materials including metallic alloys and polymers have significant potential to be used in tissue engineering, as orthopaedic implants, and may have cardiovascular applications. Over the years, researchers have designed and developed new types of biodegradable materials and methods for their processing, with the aim of improving their mechanical and biological properties. Properties including surface topography, hardness, contact angle, corrosion, cell viability, cell adhesion/proliferation, and antibacterial and inflammation behaviour, are some of the key factors that determine the overall performance of the material prior to its potential application in clinical trials. A proper balance between adequate mechanical integrity and biological characteristics to crucial to achieve this target. For example, metallic Mg alloys degrade very quickly in saline environments, and how to slow down this degradation while maintaining the material’s integrity is a challenge. On the other hand, biodegradable polymers have low strength, and how to increase their mechanical properties is another aspect to consider.

Despite some successes over the years, research efforts are needed to accelerate innovation in developing or improving biodegradable materials, in order to leverage their inherent potential benefits.

This Special Issue is dedicated to highlighting new and emerging research findings on biodegradable materials that have addressed some of the issues highlighted above. Furthermore, processing techniques, e.g., alloying, surface modifications and coating, have played a critical role in enhancing the properties pertinent to biodegradable materials. Therefore, this Special Issue calls for manuscripts on scientific and applied research developments from researchers in the following areas.

  • Biodegradable materials;
  • Mechanical and biological properties and their characterisation;
  • Biodegradable implants and in vitro/in vivo performance evaluation;
  • Degradation or corrosion performance;
  • Processing of biodegradable materials;
  • Surface engineering and treatment of biodegradable materials;
  • Surface integrity, contact angle, cell viability

Dr. Mohammad Uddin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Biomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biodegradable materials
  • mechanical properties
  • corrosion resistance
  • biological properties
  • surface integrity
  • surface engineering

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 3076 KiB  
Article
Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing of Zinc as a Degradable Metallic Biomaterial
by Rishabh Soni, Suyog Jhavar, Suhela Tyeb, Saurabh Kumar Gupta, Satyam Suwas and Kaushik Chatterjee
J. Funct. Biomater. 2022, 13(4), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb13040212 - 01 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2435
Abstract
Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) offers a high rate of material deposition among various additive manufacturing techniques with wire as feedstock material but has not been established for zinc alloys. Zn alloys can be used as degradable biomaterials, in contrast to conventional permanent [...] Read more.
Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) offers a high rate of material deposition among various additive manufacturing techniques with wire as feedstock material but has not been established for zinc alloys. Zn alloys can be used as degradable biomaterials, in contrast to conventional permanent metallic biomaterials. In this work, commercially pure Zn was processed by WAAM to obtain near-dense parts, and the properties obtained through WAAM-processed Zn were compared with wrought (WR) Zn samples. The microstructure and hardness values of the WAAM (41 ± 1 HV0.3) components were found to be similar to those of the WR (35 ± 2 HV0.3) components. Bulk X-ray diffraction texture measurements suggested that WAAM builds exhibit a heavily textured microstructure compared to the WR counterparts, with peak intensities around <3 3–6 2> or <0 0 0 2> in the directions parallel to the build direction (BD). The corrosion rates in simulated body fluid (SBF) were similar for WAAM (0.45 mmpy) and WR (0.3 mmpy) samples. The weight loss measurements in SBF were found to be marginally higher in the WAAM samples compared to the WR counterparts for a duration of up to 21 days. MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts were found to be healthy and proliferating in the culture medium containing the degradation products from WAAM-Zn in a manner similar to WR-Zn. This work establishes the feasibility of processing Zn by WAAM for use in bioresorbable metallic implants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Biodegradable Materials and Their Processing)
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15 pages, 15461 KiB  
Article
In Vivo Evaluation of the Effects of B-Doped Strontium Apatite Nanoparticles Produced by Hydrothermal Method on Bone Repair
by Faruk Oztekin, Turan Gurgenc, Serkan Dundar, Ibrahim Hanifi Ozercan, Tuba Talo Yildirim, Mehmet Eskibaglar, Erhan Cahit Ozcan and Cevher Kursat Macit
J. Funct. Biomater. 2022, 13(3), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb13030110 - 31 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2677
Abstract
In the present study, the structural, morphological, and in vivo biocompatibility of un-doped and boron (B)-doped strontium apatite (SrAp) nanoparticles were investigated. Biomaterials were fabricated using the hydrothermal process. The structural and morphological characterizations of the fabricated nanoparticles were performed by XRD, FT-IR, [...] Read more.
In the present study, the structural, morphological, and in vivo biocompatibility of un-doped and boron (B)-doped strontium apatite (SrAp) nanoparticles were investigated. Biomaterials were fabricated using the hydrothermal process. The structural and morphological characterizations of the fabricated nanoparticles were performed by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, and EDX. Their biocompatibility was investigated by placing them in defects in rat tibiae in vivo. The un-doped and B-doped SrAp nanoparticles were successfully fabricated. The produced nanoparticles were in the shape of nano-rods, and the dimensions of the nano-rods decreased as the B ratio increased. It was observed that the structural and morphological properties of strontium apatite nanoparticles were affected by the contribution of B. A stoichiometric Sr/P ratio of 1.67 was reached in the 5% B-doped sample (1.68). The average crystallite sizes were 34.94 nm, 39.70 nm, 44.93 nm, and 48.23 nm in un-doped, 1% B-doped, 5% B-doped, and 10% B-doped samples, respectively. The results of the in vivo experiment revealed that the new bone formation and osteoblast density were higher in the groups with SrAp nanoparticles doped with different concentrations of B than in the control group, in which the open defects were untreated. It was observed that this biocompatibility and the new bone formation were especially elevated in the B groups, which added high levels of strontium were added. The osteoblast density was higher in the group in which the strontium element was placed in the opened bone defect compared with the control group. However, although new bone formation was slightly higher in the strontium group than in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. Furthermore, the strontium group had the highest amount of fibrotic tissue formation. The produced nanoparticles can be used in dental and orthopedic applications as biomaterials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Biodegradable Materials and Their Processing)
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Review

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34 pages, 10970 KiB  
Review
Mechanical Surface Treatments for Controlling Surface Integrity and Corrosion Resistance of Mg Alloy Implants: A Review
by Vincent Santos, Mohammad Uddin and Colin Hall
J. Funct. Biomater. 2023, 14(5), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb14050242 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1744
Abstract
The present paper aims to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art mechanical surface modification technologies and their response in terms of surface roughness, surface texture, and microstructural change due to cold work-hardening, affecting the surface integrity and corrosion resistance of different Mg [...] Read more.
The present paper aims to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art mechanical surface modification technologies and their response in terms of surface roughness, surface texture, and microstructural change due to cold work-hardening, affecting the surface integrity and corrosion resistance of different Mg alloys. The process mechanics of five main treatment strategies, namely, shot peening, surface mechanical attrition treatment, laser shock peening, ball burnishing, and ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification, were discussed. The influence of the process parameters on plastic deformation and degradation characteristics was thoroughly reviewed and compared from the perspectives of surface roughness, grain modification, hardness, residual stress, and corrosion resistance over short- and long-term periods. Potential and advances in new and emerging hybrid and in-situ surface treatment strategies were comprehensively eluded and summarised. This review takes a holistic approach to identifying the fundamentals, pros, and cons of each process, thereby contributing to bridging the current gap and challenge in surface modification technology for Mg alloys. To conclude, a brief summary and future outlook resulting from the discussion were presented. The findings would offer a useful insight and guide for researchers to focus on developing new surface treatment routes to resolve surface integrity and early degradation problems for successful application of biodegradable Mg alloy implants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Biodegradable Materials and Their Processing)
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21 pages, 2532 KiB  
Review
Biodegradable Materials for Tissue Engineering: Development, Classification and Current Applications
by Marcel Modrák, Marianna Trebuňová, Alena Findrik Balogová, Radovan Hudák and Jozef Živčák
J. Funct. Biomater. 2023, 14(3), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb14030159 - 16 Mar 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2802
Abstract
The goal of this review is to map the current state of biodegradable materials that are used in tissue engineering for a variety of applications. At the beginning, the paper briefly identifies typical clinical indications in orthopedics for the use of biodegradable implants. [...] Read more.
The goal of this review is to map the current state of biodegradable materials that are used in tissue engineering for a variety of applications. At the beginning, the paper briefly identifies typical clinical indications in orthopedics for the use of biodegradable implants. Subsequently, the most frequent groups of biodegradable materials are identified, classified, and analyzed. To this end, a bibliometric analysis was applied to evaluate the evolution of the scientific literature in selected topics of the subject. The special focus of this study is on polymeric biodegradable materials that have been widely used for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Moreover, to outline current research trends and future research directions in this area, selected smart biodegradable materials are characterized, categorized, and discussed. Finally, pertinent conclusions regarding the applicability of biodegradable materials are drawn and recommendations for future research are suggested to drive this line of research forward. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Biodegradable Materials and Their Processing)
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