Assessment and selection of filler compounds for radiopaque PolyJet multi-material 3D printing for use in clinical settings

Abstract

The aim of this research was to assess a selection of radiopaque filler compounds for increasing radiopacity in a resin suitable for Polyjet multi-material 3D printing. A radiopaque resin has potential applications in medicine to produce patient-specific anatomical models with realistic radiological properties, training aids, and skin contacting components such as surgical or procedural guides that require visibility under fluoroscopy. The desirable filler would have a high level of radiopacity under ionising imaging modalities, such as X-ray, CT, fluoroscopy or angiography. Nine potential filler compounds were selected based on atomic number and handling risk: barium sulphate, bismuth oxide, zirconium oxide, strontium oxide, strontium fluoride, strontium carbonate, iodine, niobium oxide and tantalum oxide. The fillers were evaluated using selected criteria. A weighted material selection matrix was developed to prioritise and select a filler for future 3D printing on a multi-material 3D printer. Zirconium oxide was the highest scoring filler compound in the material selection matrix, scoring 4.4 out of a maximum of 5. MED610TM resin doped with zirconium oxide was shown to be UV curable, and when cured is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and has the ability to display antimicrobial properties. In terms of radiopacity, a sample with thickness 1.5 mm of MED610™ resin doped with 20 wt.% zirconium oxide produced X-ray radiopacity equivalent to 3 mm of aluminium. Zirconium oxide was selected using the material selection matrix. This radiopaque resin can be used to produce anatomical models with accurate radiological properties, training aids or skin contacting devices that require visibility under ionising imaging modalities. The 3D printing validation run successfully demonstrated that the material selection matrix prioritised a filler suitable for radiopaque multi-material 3D printing.

The Effect of Nano Zirconium Dioxide (ZrO2)-Optimized Content in Polyamide 12 (PA12) and Polylactic Acid (PLA) Matrices on Their Thermomechanical Response in 3D Printing

“…Zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ) is a biocompatible material and, due to its sufficient chemical and mechanical properties, it is often used in dental applications [ 66 ], implants and coatings [ 67 ], and optical applications [ 68 ]. Due to its popularity, it is applied in 3D printing, almost exclusively in medical treatments for dental and implant applications [ 69 , 70 ], employing the vat photopolymerization and material jetting techniques [ 71 ]. Its response in the vat photopolymerization technique has been investigated, mainly toward its effect in the curing process [ 72 , 73 ].…”

Modification of Polyvinyl Chloride Composites for Radiographic Detection of Polyvinyl Chloride Retained Surgical Items

“…As a consequence, other radiopaque agents are intensively studied. Based on atomic number and handling risk, nine potential filler compounds have recently been evaluated [ 29 ]. With the development of the radiographical techniques [ 30 ], the choice of potential radiopaque candidates is gradually enlarging.…”

“…The agents based on bismuth [ 24 , 32 ] also proved to be very competitive. Specifically, greater attention is paid to bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) [ 20 , 29 ]. Bismuth oxychloride exhibits twice the density resulting in a doubled level of radiopacity using the same filler loading as barium sulfate [ 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”