Dr. Julia Ce de Andrade

CAPES/PROBAL postdoctoral fellow from Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC, Brazil)

Surface functionalization of 3D polymer scaffolds with ion releasing nanoparticles

The project aims to combine multifunctional, ion-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) and laser-ablated nanoparticles into polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds fabricated via 3D printing and melt electrowriting (MEW). By coupling bioinspired surface modification strategies with ion-assisted antibacterial and osteogenic functionality [1], this work targets infection-responsive materials for osteomyelitis treatment. Building on doped-MBGN composite scaffolds that enhance wettability, ion release, and pre-osteoblast adhesion [2], the study bridges materials design and biofabrication toward bone-regenerative scaffolds. The project is carried out in the framework of our collaboration with UFSC (Brazil) funded by CAPES/PROBAL.

[1] Ilyas, K., Akhtar, M. A., Ammar, E. B., & Boccaccini, A. R. (2022). Surface modification of 3D-printed PCL/BG composite scaffolds via mussel-inspired polydopamine and effective antibacterial coatings for biomedical applications. Materials, 15(23), 8289.

[2] Nawaz, Q., López, G. B., Strunk, T., Damiani, C., Mas-Moruno, C., Westhauser, F., … & Boccaccini, A. R. (2025). 3D printing of PCL-based composite scaffolds coated with mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) incorporating boron and molybdenum for ion-assisted bone tissue engineering. Journal of Materials Science, 1-18.