#biomaterials

CU Boulder researchers find seaweed derivative makes earthen materials viable for 3D printing

Food-grade biopolymer alters clay particle behavior, opening a path for construction waste to become printable building material

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have identified sodium alginate — a seaweed-derived compound used in food manufacturing — as an additive that makes natural earthen materials like clay and sand suitable for extrusion-based 3D printing. “From termite mounds to adobe buildings, humans and animals have been building with earth since the dawn of time,” said Wil Srubar, Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at CU Boulder. “But there hasn’t been a lot of science to how earthen builders design the materials. So, we wanted to use scientific knowledge and tools to understand it.”

The Common Kitchen Spice That Could Neutralize Light Scattering During Ceramic 3D Printing

You might not be familiar with curcumin, but you certainly know turmeric: the vibrant spice native to Southeast Asia. Curcumin is the active chemical compound within turmeric responsible for giving it that iconic bright yellow hue. Extracted from the Curcuma longa plant, curcumin is widely used today in herbal supplements, cosmetics, and food coloring. Now, researchers from Hunan University have discovered a new application for it: stabilizing microscopic ceramic 3D printing. The Challenge of Light Scattering in Ceramic AM To understand the breakthrough, it helps to look at digital light processing (DLP), handles ceramics. Generally, ceramic 3D printing relies on vat photopolymerization, curing a liquid resin that is heavily packed with solid, microscopic ceramic powder. During the printing process, the machine projects precise light patterns onto the resin to cure it layer by layer.

Sawdust-Based Foam Could Offer a Sustainable Alternative to Polystyrene

Waste swept off a sawmill floor, plant-based binders, and beeswax create foams with potential for sustainable packaging and building materials.

Newswise — Polystyrene — common in packing peanuts and box inserts — is manufactured from fossil fuels. To develop a sustainable alternative, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials tested an unconventional starting material: sawdust. Their prototype foams incorporated cellulose binders and other additives to form rigid or flexible materials, and some versions matched polystyrene’s strength and impact resistance. A simple beeswax coating made them water-resistant, producing biobased foams with potential for packaging and building materials.  “It can be exciting to use waste products as a starting point for materials fabrication, rather than a chemical catalog,” says Todd Emrick, the corresponding author of the study. He adds that the first author of the paper, Isha Farook, drove to nearby farms and sawmills asking if the research team could have their sawdust waste. Both researchers were pleased and surprised that, once it was dried, this waste sawdust created well-performing foams. 

Gum Arabic Binder For Rice Husk Paste Extrusion

A new paper evaluates gum arabic as a natural binder for paste extrusion of rice husks, pointing to a low cost and bio based path for additive manufacturing. The paper, titled “Gum Arabic as a Binder for Paste Extrusion Additive Manufacturing Using Rice Husks,” examines whether a widely available plant gum can deliver printable rheology and stable green parts when loaded with agricultural waste. Paste extrusion — also called direct ink writing (DIW) or robocasting — is another thermoplastic printing process like FFF and photopolymers like SLA/DLP. Instead of melting filament or curing resin, DIW pushes a viscous paste through a nozzle and relies on yield stress, shear thinning and rapid green strength to hold shape. It is widely used for clays, cements, ceramics and bio inks, and it often uses inexpensive, local feedstocks.

University of Stuttgart researchers 3D print bio-concrete structures using bacteria

A new additive manufacturing method combines microbial cementation with layer-by-layer sand compaction to produce geometrically complex, low-carbon concrete structures, without conventional cement

Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have developed a 3D printing method for bio-concrete that uses live bacteria to bind compacted sand into load-bearing structures — without conventional cement. The work, published in npj Advanced Manufacturing, targeted a prevalent issue in the field, which is that cement production currently accounts for approximately 8% of global CO₂ emissions. The process draws on microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP), a biological mechanism in which bacteria break down urea and trigger the formation of calcium carbonate crystals that bind sand grains together. While MICP has been studied for applications such as soil stabilization and simple brick production, the Stuttgart team sought to extend it to geometrically complex, additively manufactured forms.

Dental Sutures and Collagen Market is at the forefront of medical technology, with recent breakthroughs in material science significantly enhancing surgical success rates. The Dental Sutures and Collagen market was valued at USD 0.77 Billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 1.35 Billion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% from 2027 to 2033. These innovations are transforming how oral surgeons approach wound closure and bone grafting, making procedures safer and more predictable than ever before.

Modern absorbable sutures, in particular, are seeing massive adoption as they eliminate the need for follow-up appointments for removal, greatly improving patient compliance and satisfaction. Simultaneously, advanced collagen sponges and membranes are being engineered to mimic natural human tissue, providing an optimal environment for cellular regeneration. This synergy between materials that secure the wound and materials that heal the tissue is the hallmark of the modern dental surgical toolkit.

The competitive landscape is also evolving, with companies focusing on creating products that address specific clinical needs, such as antibacterial-coated sutures that mitigate post-operative infection risks. These enhancements, combined with ergonomic design improvements in needles and applicators, are enabling dentists to operate with unprecedented precision. This commitment to innovation is ensuring that even complex procedures can be performed with minimal downtime, aligning perfectly with the modern patient's desire for quick recovery.

Orthopedic AM To Bioprinting: A 2030–2050 Outlook

A new academic roadmap lays out how orthopedic 3D printing could evolve into clinical bioprinting by 2050 — and what must happen along the way. Authored by Lucian Reclaru and colleagues from Switzerland and Romania, the paper contrasts subtractive CAD/CAM with additive methods and projects an orthopedic future that moves from patient-matched titanium lattices to living, vascularized grafts. This is a state-of-the-field analysis with a strong forecast. They synthesize three decades of AM development — from stereolithography to laser powder bed fusion — and connect it to real orthopedic practice and near-term hospital workflows. Their premise is straightforward. Subtractive CAD/CAM remains excellent for hard, precise components, but wastes material and limits internal geometry. Additive manufacturing enables porous lattices, tuned stiffness, and true patient specificity. In orthopedics, that means better osseointegration and potentially fewer attachments.

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The 5th World Congress on Materials Science & Nanotechnology 2026 invites researchers, academicians, scientists, and industry professionals from around the world to share knowledge, present innovative research, and build international collaborations.

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