Dual‐Network Bioactive Implant Promotes Weight‐Bearing Bone Healing via Mechano‐Bioelectric Coupling
Abstract The repair of weight‐bearing bone defects is critically limited by the mechanical mismatch between implants and native bone. While excessive implant stiffness causes stress shielding and inhibits bone formation, insufficient stiffness compromises structural stability and osseointegration. To address this, a dual‐network, piezoelectric nanoceramic‐reinforced implant is developed that replicates the mechanical properties of natural bone while actively enhancing osteogenesis for irregular defect repair. The implant combines a fast‐curing polymer network and a protein‐based network, strategically reinforced with high‐modulus piezoelectric nanoparticles. Through optimized covalent cross‐linking, physical entanglement, and nanoceramic dispersion, the system achieves synergistic mechanical and osteogenic performance—matching cortical bone in compressive strength (≈140 MPa) and elastic modulus (≈3.8 GPa). Under physiological loading, the embedded nanoceramics generate osteogenic bioelectric signals, further stimulating bone remodeling. In a tibial fracture model, the implant provides robust mechanical support and biological activity, enabling near‐complete functional gait recovery. This study demonstrates a mechano‐bioelectric dual‐regulation strategy to advance weight‐bearing bone regeneration.
Authors
- Ke Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2618-8705)
- Chaonan Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5011-6974)
- Runzhi Xia
- Hongjie Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1474-5658)
- Fang‐Zhou Yao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1975-7452)
- Bo Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3792-2469)
- Fan Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3351-8848)
- Kai Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0878-5191)
- Jing Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0114-2206)
- Yawei Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5032-3631)
- Jiaming Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0826-8445)
- Jiahe Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4131-3356)
- Wei Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2359-4257)
- Yong Yu
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- China-Japan Friendship Hospital (CN)
- Shanghai Third People's Hospital (CN)
- Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing
- East China Normal University (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2025-11-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202523587
- Primary Topic
- Bone Tissue Engineering Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- People's Government of Jilin Province