Processing optimization, mechanical properties, corrosion behavior and cytocompatibility of additively manufactured Zn-0.7Li biodegradable metals

Biodegradable Zn-Li alloys exhibit superior mechanical performance and favorable osteogenic capability for load-bearing bone devices. Additive manufacturing (AM) endows freedom for the fabrication of bone implants of personalized structure to satisfy patient-specific needs. In this paper, AM of Zn-Li alloys was attempted for the first-time using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), and the fabricated samples exhibited good fusion quality and high dimensional accuracy. The processing optimization, mechanical properties, in vitro corrosion behavior and cytocompatibility were investigated by using Zn-0.7Li bulk and porous samples. The ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of bulk samples respectively reached 416.5 MPa and 83.3 GPa, and both were the highest among various additively manufactured Zn alloys reported so far. Porous samples achieved compressive strength (18.2 MPa) and elastic modulus (298.0 MPa), which were comparable to those of cancellous bone. Porous samples exhibited a higher corrosion rate and alleviated the problem of slow degradation of Zn-Li alloys. Nevertheless, osteoblastic cells showed a more spreading and healthier morphology when adhering to the porous samples compared to the bulk samples, thus a better cytocompatibility was confirmed. This work shows tremendous potential to precisely design and modulate biodegradable Zn alloys to fulfill clinical needs by using AM technology. This paper firstly studied processing optimization during laser powder bed fusion of Zn-Li alloy. Bulk and porous Zn-0.7Li samples in customized design were obtained with high formation quality. The tensile strength of bulk samples reached 416.5 MPa, while the compressive strength and modulus of porous samples reduced to 18.2 MPa and 298.0 MPa, comparable to those of bone. The weight loss of porous samples was roughly 5 times that of bulk samples; osteoblastic cells showed a more spreading and healthier morphology at porous samples, indicating improved biodegradation rate and cytocompatibility. This work shows tremendous potential to precisely design and modulate biodegradable Zn alloy porous scaffolds to fulfill clinical needs by using additive manufacturing technology.