The structure of bio-carriers is one of the key operational characteristics of a biofilm reactor. The goal of this study is to develop a series of novel fullerene-type bio-carriers using the three-dimensional printing (3DP) technique. 3DP can fabricate bio-carriers with more specialized structures compared with traditional fabrication processes. In this research, three types of fullerene-type bio-carriers were fabricated using the 3DP technique and then compared with bio-carrier K3 (from AnoxKaldnes) in the areas of physicochemical properties and biofilm growth. Images acquired by 3D profiling and SEM indicated that the surface roughness of the 3DP bio-carrier was greater than that of K3. Furthermore, contact angle data indicated that the 3DP bio-carriers were more hydrophilic than K3. The biofilm on the 3DP bio-carriers exhibited higher microbial activity and stronger adhesion ability. These findings were attributed to excellent mass transfer of the substrate (and oxygen) between the vapour-liquidsolid tri-phase system and to the surface characteristics. It is concluded that the novel 3DP fullerenetype bio-carriers are ideal carriers for biofilm adherence and growth.Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is a new technology used in the rapid prototyping (RP) industry. It is fundamentally a layer-by-layer fabrication process, in which the 2D cross-sectional profile of an object is determined by a computer model and printed in a layer of powder via deposition of a suitable binder. Successive 2D profiles are subsequently printed on freshly laid powder layer until the whole model object is completed 1,2 . Sanchs and Haggerty invented the 3DP technique at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1991 3 . Over the subsequent two decades of development, this technique has been improved through the incorporation of many novel materials and method, and it is now widely used in numerous fields such as aerospace engineering, biomedical prototyping, pharmaceutical engineering, and process design [4][5][6] . The 3DP technique offers many advantages over other manufacturing techniques. Traditional manufacturing methods depend on cutting and moulding technologies to create a limited number of structures and shapes, with more intricate hollow objects requiring the assembly of multiple separate parts. However, the 3DP technique transforms this process-3D printers can create many complex figures based on virtual designs constructed by computer-aided design (CAD), and the results are constrained only by a person's imagination. This method also provides better structural integrity and durability. The 3DP technique can remove the limitations in combining different raw materials, a problem that can arise in traditional methods when discrepancies exist between chemical and physical properties. The process of the 3DP technique enables rapid automated manufacturing 7 . In the long term, the range of industrial 3DP technique applications will skyrocket, as the newest 3DP techniques accommodate larger products

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Porous titanium (Ti) and its alloys fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have attractive potential for dental and bone defect repair fields. Understanding the relationship between cells and the surface of the as-built three-dimensional (3D) scaffold interactions is not only necessary for tissue engineering but also promising for improving the fabrication process in the manufacture of artificial implants by AM technology. In this study, we have aimed to investigate the cell behavior including adhesion and proliferation of fibroblasts (L929) on Ti-6Al-4 V scaffolds fabricated by the electron beam melting method. The porosities of Ti-6Al-4 V scaffolds are 0% (compact), 60%, and 70%, respectively. Different cell behaviors have been observed from all of the specimens after 4 and 8 days of cell incubation. The present result indicates that, besides the surface roughness, the surface topography of specimens should also be taken into consideration to investigate the interaction between implants and cells. Therefore, this study would provide several possibilities for improving the osteointegration functions of the manufactured porous metallic implants in orthopedic and dental applications.

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