A review of multi-functional ceramic nanoparticles in 3D printed bone tissue engineering

Abstract The complex and hierarchical structure with high vascularization of human bone limits the applications of traditional bone tissue engineering, especially in large bone defects. Progress in nanotechnology and 3D printing has opened new opportunities for bone tissue engineering. Nanoparticles possess unique size-dependent physicochemical and mechanical properties, such as bone scaffold enhancement, drug delivery ability, and bioimaging ability, that are rarely detected in bulk components. Nanoparticles with these features have enabled us to create multi-functional bone scaffolds within a single system. At the same time, 3D printing can make the scaffolds with fully customizable designs. These nanoparticle-embedded 3D printed scaffolds used in bone tissue engineering have tremendous potential to enhance bone regeneration and healing. The previous review paper covered the functions and applications of metallic and metal oxide nanoparticles in bone tissue engineering. This review paper aims to cover the most recent bone tissue engineering applications based on different ceramic nanoparticles in 3D printed scaffolds. This paper also summarizes the capabilities and limitations of the multi-functional ceramic nanoparticles, and potential future improvement solutions.