Microfluidic bubble-generator enables digital light processing 3D printing of porous structures

Three-dimensional(3D)printing is an emerging technique that has shown promising success in engineering human tissues in recent years.Further development of vatphotopolymerization printing modalities has significantly enhanced the complexity level for 3D printing of various functional structures and components.Similarly,the development of microfluidic chip systems is an emerging research sector with promising medical applications.This work demonstrates the coupling of a digital light processing(DLP)printing procedure with a microfluidic chip system to produce size-tunable,3D-printable porosities with narrow pore size distributions within a gelatin methacryloyl(GelMA)hydrogel matrix.It is found that the generation of size-tunable gas bubbles trapped within an aqueous GelMA hydrogel-precursor can be controlled with high precision.Furthermore,the porosities are printed in two-dimensional(2D)as well as in 3D using the DLP printer.In addition,the cytocompatibility of the printed porous scaffolds is investigated using fibroblasts,where high cell viabilities as well as cell proliferation,spreading,and migration are confirmed.It is anticipated that the strategy is widely applicable in a range of application areas such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine,among others.

Magnesium implant degradation provides immunomodulatory and proangiogenic effects and attenuates peri-implant fibrosis in soft tissues

Implants made of magnesium(Mg)are increasingly employed in patients to achieve osteosynthesis while degrading in situ.Since Mg implants and Mg^(2+)have been suggested to possess anti-inflammatory properties,the clinically observed soft tissue inflammation around Mg implants is enigmatic.Here,using a rat soft tissue model and a 1-28 d observation period,we determined the temporo-spatial cell distribution and behavior in relation to sequential changes of pure Mg implant surface properties and Mg^(2+)release.Compared to nondegradable titanium(Ti)implants,Mg degradation exacerbated initial inflammation.Release of Mg degradation products at the tissue-implant interface,culminating at 3 d,actively initiated chemotaxis and upregulated mRNA and protein immunomodulatory markers,particularly inducible nitric oxide synthase and toll-like receptor-4 up to 6 d,yet without a cytotoxic effect.Increased vascularization was demonstrated morphologically,preceded by high expression of vascular endothelial growth factor.The transition to appropriate tissue repair coincided with implant surface enrichment of Ca and P and reduced peri-implant Mg^(2+)concentration.Mg implants revealed a thinner fibrous encapsulation compared with Ti.The detailed understanding of the relationship between Mg material properties and the spatial and time-resolved cellular processes provides a basis for the interpretation of clinical observations and future tailoring of Mg implants.

In vitro and in vivo degradation behavior of Mg-0.45Zn-0.45Ca(ZX00)screws for orthopedic applications

Magnesium (Mg) alloys have become a potential material for orthopedic implants due to their unnecessary implant removal, biocompatibility, and mechanical integrity until fracture healing. This study examined the in vitro and in vivo degradation of an Mg fixation screw composed of Mg-0.45Zn-0.45Ca (ZX00, in wt.%). With ZX00 human-sized implants, in vitro immersion tests up to 28 days under physiological conditions, along with electrochemical measurements were performed for the first time. In addition, ZX00 screws were implanted in the diaphysis of sheep for 6, 12, and 24 weeks to assess the degradation and biocompatibility of the screws in vivo. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), micro-computed tomography (μCT), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and histology, the surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the corrosion layers formed, as well as the bone-corrosion-layer-implant interfaces, were analyzed. Our findings from in vivo testing demonstrated that ZX00 alloy promotes bone healing and the formation of new bone in direct contact with the corrosion products. In addition, the same elemental composition of corrosion products was observed for in vitro and in vivo experiments;however, their elemental distribution and thicknesses differ depending on the implant location. Our findings suggest that the corrosion resistance was microstructure-dependent. The head zone was the least corrosion-resistant, indicating that the production procedure could impact the corrosion performance of the implant. In spite of this, the formation of new bone and no adverse effects on the surrounding tissues demonstrated that the ZX00 is a suitable Mg-based alloy for temporary bone implants.

Review of Hydrogen Embrittlement in Metals: Hydrogen Diffusion, Hydrogen Characterization, Hydrogen Embrittlement Mechanism and Prevention

Hydrogen dissolved in metals as a result of internal and external hydrogen can affect the mechanical properties of the metals, principally through the interactions between hydrogen and material defects. Multiple phenomena such as hydrogen dissolution, hydrogen diffusion, hydrogen redistribution and hydrogen interactions with vacancies, dislocations, grain boundaries and other phase interfaces are involved in this process. Consequently, several hydrogen embrittlement(HE) mechanisms have been successively proposed to explain the HE phenomena, with the hydrogen-enhanced decohesion mechanism, hydrogenenhanced localized plasticity mechanism and hydrogen-enhanced strain-induced vacancies being some of the most important. Additionally, to reduce the risk of HE for engineering structural materials in service, surface treatments and microstructural optimization of the alloys have been suggested. In this review, we report on the progress of the studies on HE in metals, with a particular focus on steels. It focuses on four aspects:(1) hydrogen diffusion behavior;(2) hydrogen characterization methods;(3) HE mechanisms;and(4) the prevention of HE. The strengths and weaknesses of the current HE mechanisms and HE prevention methods are discussed, and specific research directions for further investigation of fundamental HE mechanisms and methods for preventing HE failure are identified.

Hydrogen embrittlement behavior of Inconel 718 alloy at room temperature

Hydrogen embrittlement of Inconel 718 alloy was investigated. Multi-scale observation technique were employed, comprising slow strain rate tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis. The results demonstrate that hydrogen charging deteriorates mechanical properties of the alloy. Inconel 718 alloy shows partial Portevin-Le Chatelier(PLC) effect at room temperature when hydrogen charging current density is 220 mA cm^(-2) and 590 mA cm^(-2). Moreover, plastic deformation features with dislocation cells are detected in hydrogen-induced brittle zone. Thus, it is concluded that dragging effect of hydrogen atoms on dislocations contributes to PLC effect.