Preparation of Al2O3-ZrO2 scaffolds with controllable multi-level pores via digital light processing

Abstract Multi-level porous material based on additive manufacturing, is a potentially disruptive material across multiple industries, including medical implants, thermal insulation and filtration. In this study, we propose a novel approach to fabricate materials with controllable pores via digital light processing (DLP) and decomposition of Al(OH)3. DLP can be used to fabricate macro pores bigger than 300 μm. And the decomposition of Al(OH)3 can result in micro pores of about 1 μm inside the scaffolds. The process parameters of curing, debinding and sintering temperature (1100-1500 ℃) of ceramic scaffolds with containing proportion of Al(OH)3 (0-60 wt.%) were examined. The results indicated multi-level porous ceramic scaffold has controllable porosity and pore size distribution and meets the requirement of implant strength. Biological test show that ceramic scaffolds with multi-level pores promoted osteoblast proliferation and adhesion. The multi-level porous ceramic scaffolds prepared by DLP and decomposition of Al(OH)3 have great prospects for the application in bone implants.