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A radiopaque nanoparticle-based ink using PolyJet 3D printing for medical applications
Date
2021
Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop a 3D printable radiopaque ink and successfully print a finished artifact. Radiopaque 3D printing would be hugely beneficial to improve the visibility of medical devices and implants, as well as allowing more realistic phantoms and calibration aids to be produced. Most 3D printing technologies are polymer based. Polymers are naturally radiolucent, allowing X-rays to pass through, showing up as faint dark gray regions on X-ray detectors, as for soft tissues. During this study, a 3D printable ultraviolet (UV) curable resin containing zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles was developed. 5 wt.% ZrO2 was dispersed in a base resin using a high-shear mixer. Particles remained in suspension for 6–8 h at room temperature, allowing time for 3D printing. A model of a hand including radiopaque bones and a test block demonstrating a range of internal radiopaque features were successfully 3D printed. Radiopacity was demonstrated in the 3D-printed models, and there was good dispersion of ZrO2 within the resin matrix. The impregnated resin remained UV curable and viscosity was not compromised. In this study, 3D-printed radiopaque features demonstrated clear radiopacity under X-ray and microcomputed tomography imaging.
Supervisor
Description
peer-reviewed
The full text of this article will not be available in ULIR until the embargo expires on the 16/12/2021
Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Citation
3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing;7 (6)
Files
ULRR Identifiers
Funding code
Funding Information
Irish Research Council (IRC), National Children’s Research Centre