Morphology and Deviation Dimension of Hydroxyapatite/Collagen Composite after Printing with Three-Dimensional Bioprinting

Nowadays, the requirements of scaffolds and bone grafts are increasing along with large defects increasing every year. Furthermore, large defects that occur in human bones are customary. However, this obstacle can be overcome by using 3D printing. This study aims to investigate the morphology, deviation dimension, shrinkage and hardness of hydroxyapatite (HA)/collagen composite, which these materials mimic with human bone. HA/collagen composite was printed using three-dimensional bioprinting based on extrusion with a print speed of 10 mm/min and a layer height of 0.5 mm. The composition of HA and collagen material is 70% and 30%, respectively, where this composition mimics natural bone. Morphology and dimension of HA/collagen composite were obtained by transmission electron microscope. Moreover, the deviation dimension and shrinkage were measured using the Miviewcap optical microscope and software Image J. The resulting HA/collagen composite clearly showed that collagen was in the form of fibers while HA was in an irregular shape. The average width and length of collagen were 5.98 + 0.20 nm and 82.48 + 6.23 nm, respectively. Moreover, the Average width and length of HA were 21.85 + 0.53 nm and 23.30 + 1.33 nm. The average deviation dimension in the X, Y, and Z axes was 2.69%, 1.40%, and 24.12%. Furthermore, shrinkage was 12.27%, 10.18%, and 19.06% on the X, Y, and Z axes. The average hardness of specimen 1 and 2 of HA/collagen composite were 0.0021594 HV.