Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Nov 20;34(12):62.
doi: 10.1007/s10856-023-06765-9.

A review on the recent applications of synthetic biopolymers in 3D printing for biomedical applications

Shiva S  1   2 , Asuwin Prabu R G  1 , Gauri Bajaj  3 , Amy Elsa John  3 , Sharan Chandran  4 , Vishnu Vijay Kumar  2   5   6   7 , Seeram Ramakrishna  2
Affiliations
Review

A review on the recent applications of synthetic biopolymers in 3D printing for biomedical applications

Shiva S et al. J Mater Sci Mater Med. .

Abstract

3D printing technology is an emerging method that gained extensive attention from researchers worldwide, especially in the health and medical fields. Biopolymers are an emerging class of materials offering excellent properties and flexibility for additive manufacturing. Biopolymers are widely used in biomedical applications in biosensing, immunotherapy, drug delivery, tissue engineering and regeneration, implants, and medical devices. Various biodegradable and non-biodegradable polymeric materials are considered as bio-ink for 3d printing. Here, we offer an extensive literature review on the current applications of synthetic biopolymers in the field of 3D printing. A trend in the publication of biopolymers in the last 10 years are focused on the review by analyzing more than 100 publications. Their application and classification based on biodegradability are discussed. The various studies, along with their practical applications, are elaborated in the subsequent sections for polyethylene, polypropylene, polycaprolactone, polylactide, etc. for biomedical applications. The disadvantages of various biopolymers are discussed, and future perspectives like combating biocompatibility problems using 3D printed biomaterials to build compatible prosthetics are also discussed and the potential application of using resin with the combination of biopolymers to build customized implants, personalized drug delivery systems and organ on a chip technologies are expected to open a new set of chances for the development of healthcare and regenerative medicine in the future.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Applications of 3D printed synthetic polymers in area of osteology
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Number of publications per year in the field of 3D printing of biopolymers (Source: Web of Science, Keywords: “3D printing” + “ Polymer name”, from 2012 to 2023)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
3D printing of synthetic polymer allowing stem cells to aid in bone repair and repair of damaged tissues
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Preparation of polypropylene and poly lactide based biomedical implants
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Process of preparation of Nylon 66 based applications by 3D printing
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
PEKK, PEEK, and PC-derived biomedical applications and their printing technology
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Aspects and interactions that needs to be looked into while designing and selecting a material for implant
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Van de Velde K, Kiekens P. Biopolymers: an overview of several properties and consequences on their applications. Polym Test. 2002;21:433–42. doi: 10.1016/S0142-9418(01)00107-6. - DOI
    1. Niaounakis M. Biopolymers: applications and trends. William Andrew; Elsevier; 2015.
    1. Carlini AS, Adamiak L, Gianneschi NC. Biosynthetic polymers as functional materials. Macromolecules. 2016;49:4379–94. doi: 10.1021/acs.macromol.6b00439. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rebelo R, Fernandes M, Fangueiro R. Biopolymers in medical implants: a brief review. Procedia Eng. 2017;200:236–43. doi: 10.1016/j.proeng.2017.07.034. - DOI
    1. Poole-Warren L, Martens P, Green R, editors. Biosynthetic polymers for medical applications. Woodhead publishing series in biomaterials. Elsevier; 2015.