Additively-manufactured PEEK/HA porous scaffolds with highly-controllable mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) was widely applied into fabricating of orthopaedic implants, benefitting its excellent biocompatibility and similar mechanical properties to native bones. However, the inertness of PEEK hinders its integration with the surrounding bone tissue. Here PEEK scaffolds with a series of hydroxyapatite (HA) contents in gradient were manufactured via fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing techniques. The influence of the pore size, HA content and printing direction on the mechanical properties of the PEEK/HA scaffolds was systematically evaluated. By adjusting the pore size and HA contents, the elastic modulus of the PEEK/HA scaffolds can be widely tuned in the range of 624.7–50.6 MPa, similar to the variation range of natural cancellous bone. Meanwhile, the scaffolds exhibited higher Young's modulus and lower compressive strength along Z printing direction. The mapping relationship among geometric parameters, HA content, printing direction and mechanical properties was established, which gave more accurate predictions and controllability of the modulus and strength of scaffolds. The PEEK/HA scaffolds with the micro-structured surface could promote cell attachment and mineralization in vitro. Therefore, the FFF-printed PEEK/HA composites scaffolds can be a good candidate for bone grafting and tissue engineering.