Bath Uni team creates antimicrobial 3D printed materials

The technique holds promise for creating infection-fighting materials that could be used as medical implants, the researchers believe.

Working with colleagues at Ulster University, the team at Bath published its research in Advanced Materials Technologies. It highlights how the use of electrically responsive ferroelectric materials gives the implants infection-fighting properties, making them ideal for biomedical applications such as heart valves, stents and bone implants, reducing infection risk for patients.

While commonplace, all biomedical implants pose some level of risk as materials can carry surface bio-contaminants that can lead to infection. Reducing this risk could be beneficial to patients in the form of improved outcomes, and to healthcare providers thanks to reduced costs incurred by ongoing treatment.

The team has previously used this 3D printing technique for the fabrication of three-dimensional scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Dr Hamideh Khanbareh, a lecturer in materials and structures in Bath’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, is lead author of the research. She said that the development has the scope for wide-ranging applications.