Microwave-Assisted Processing of 3D Printed Advanced Ceramics for Biomedical Applications
摘要
Advanced ceramics are commonly used for biomedical applications such as dental restorations, hip and knee prostheses, finger joints and bone tissue engineering/scaffolding. Oxide, non-oxide and composite ceramic materials used in these scenarios are typically alumina, zirconia, silicon carbide, zirconia toughened alumina, hydroxyapatite, calcium silicate and silicon nitride. The twin challenges associated with bioceramic implant manufacturing are complex shaping and energy-intensive sintering. Recently, additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing is employed to make these advanced ceramic biomedical implants suitable for personalised healthcare solutions with unparalleled design complexities. Eco-friendly field-assisted sintering technologies (FAST), such as microwave and hybrid sintering, are used to reduce energy consumption during implant manufacture. A thoughtful combination of AM and FAST would result in the development of affordable, patient-specific, vastly superior ceramic implants with reduced material wastage, energy consumption and carbon emissions. This chapter examines the recent developments in the AM of bioceramic implants, the use of microwave-assisted sintering for implant fabrication, the advantages and limitations of the methodologies employed and providing a roadmap on the challenges and opportunities ahead.