Selective Laser Melting Fabrication of Functionally Graded Macroporous Ti-6Al-4V Scaffold for Cavity Bone Defect Reconstruction

Li, Zhuangzhuang; Luo, Yi; Liu, Ruicheng; Wang, Yitian; Gong, Taojun; He, Xuanhong; Lu, Minxun; Zhou, Yong; Min, Li; Tu, Chongqi

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2025.1550309

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

Sec. Biomaterials

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1550309

This article is part of the Research Topic Biomaterials, 3D printing technologies, and perspectives for bone and cartilage regeneration View all articles

Selective Laser Melting Fabrication of Functionally Graded Macroporous Ti-6Al-4V Scaffold for Cavity Bone Defect Reconstruction

Provisionally accepted

Zhuangzhuang Li ^*

Yi Luo

Ruicheng Liu

Yitian Wang

Taojun Gong

Xuanhong He

Minxun Lu

Yong Zhou

Li Min

Chongqi Tu

Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Reconstruction of cavitary bone defects poses significant challenges in orthopedic surgery due to the irregular shapes and compromised mechanical properties of surrounding bone. This study developed a functionally graded macro-porous scaffold (FGMPS) using selective laser melting (SLM) for cavitary bone defect reconstruction.The FGMPS featured a porosity gradient (74-86%) and macropores ≥1600 µm, mimicking the natural density gradient of cancellous bone. Micro-CT analysis confirmed high structural fidelity and interconnected porosity. Compression tests in two orientations revealed distinct stress-strain responses: vertically aligned gradients (FGMPS-V) exhibited sequential layer engagement, while horizontally aligned gradients (FGMPS-H) demonstrated higher stiffness and strength due to uniform load distribution. The elastic modulus ranged from 383 MPa (FGMPS-V) to 577 MPa (FGMPS-H), with yield strength of 22-40 MPa, aligning well with cancellous bone properties. These findings highlight the FGMPS's potential to offer a promising solution for cavitary bone defect repair.

Keywords: Ti-6Al-4V, functional graded porous, Cavitary bone defect, autologous cancellous bone matrix, Selective laser melting

Received: 23 Dec 2024; Accepted: 24 Mar 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Li, Luo, Liu, Wang, Gong, He, Lu, Zhou, Min and Tu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Zhuangzhuang Li, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

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