Selective Laser Melting and Spark Plasma Sintering: A Perspective on Functional Biomaterials

Ramin Rahmani; Sérgio Ivan Lopes; Konda Gokuldoss Prashanth

doi:10.3390/jfb14100521

Selective Laser Melting and Spark Plasma Sintering: A Perspective on Functional Biomaterials

J Funct Biomater. 2023 Oct 16;14(10):521. doi: 10.3390/jfb14100521.

Authors

Ramin Rahmani^{1

2}, Sérgio Ivan Lopes^{1

3}, Konda Gokuldoss Prashanth^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ CiTin-Centro de Interface Tecnológico Industrial, 4970-786 Arcos de Valdevez, Portugal.
² proMetheus, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (IPVC), 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
³ ADiT-Lab, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (IPVC), 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
⁴ Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia.
⁵ CBCMT, School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 630014, Tamil Nadu, India.

Abstract

Achieving lightweight, high-strength, and biocompatible composites is a crucial objective in the field of tissue engineering. Intricate porous metallic structures, such as lattices, scaffolds, or triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMSs), created via the selective laser melting (SLM) technique, are utilized as load-bearing matrices for filled ceramics. The primary metal alloys in this category are titanium-based Ti6Al4V and iron-based 316L, which can have either a uniform cell or a gradient structure. Well-known ceramics used in biomaterial applications include titanium dioxide (TiO₂), zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), hydroxyapatite (HA), wollastonite (W), and tricalcium phosphate (TCP). To fill the structures fabricated by SLM, an appropriate ceramic is employed through the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method, making them suitable for in vitro or in vivo applications following minor post-processing. The combined SLM-SPS approach offers advantages, such as rapid design and prototyping, as well as assured densification and consolidation, although challenges persist in terms of large-scale structure and molding design. The individual or combined application of SLM and SPS processes can be implemented based on the specific requirements for fabricated sample size, shape complexity, densification, and mass productivity. This flexibility is a notable advantage offered by the combined processes of SLM and SPS. The present article provides an overview of metal-ceramic composites produced through SLM-SPS techniques. Mg-W-HA demonstrates promise for load-bearing biomedical applications, while Cu-TiO₂-Ag exhibits potential for virucidal activities. Moreover, a functionally graded lattice (FGL) structure, either in radial or longitudinal directions, offers enhanced advantages by allowing adjustability and control over porosity, roughness, strength, and material proportions within the composite.

Keywords: functional biomaterials; laser powder bed fusion; porous lattice structures; selective laser melting; spark plasma sintering; tissue engineering.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work received funding from Missão Interface, an operation that offers public base funding for Technology and Innovation Centers (CTI) as part of the Portuguese Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR). Ramin Rahmani was funded by the operation NORTE-06-3559-FSE-000226, the Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Social Fund (ESF). This work was also developed within the scope of proMetheus—Research Unit on Materials, Energy, and Environment for Sustainability project, FCT ref. UID/05975/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES.