This investigation focuses on the enhancement of the damping properties of Methyl Methacrylate Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (MABS) through the formulation of a specific blend with a styrene-based elastomer referred to as VDT, and with the incorporation of Ethylene Butylene Styrene grafted Maleic Anhydride (SEBS-g-MAH) as a compatibilizer. In contrast to traditional investigations that primarily focus on the mechanical rigidity, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity of materials, this research explores the enhancement of damping properties via the process of melt compounding. Using a twin-screw extruder in a precise melt-mixing process, a multiphase polymer blend is generated by including three different weight ratios (10, 20, and 30 wt.%) of VDT. Furthermore, in order to enhance the compatibility between MABS and VDT, three different weight percentages of SEBS-g-MAH (2, 4, and 6 wt.%) have been used in the blend. Tensile testing, laser confocal microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), are used to thoroughly assess the compatibility and effectiveness of the blends. The results indicate that the damping performance of the blend increases in direct proportion to the amount of VDT. Conversely, the addition of SEBS-g-MAH has a non-monotonic effect: the inclusion of 4 wt.% SEBS-g-MAH leads to the most substantial improvements in both damping performance and tensile strength, exceeding the results obtained with 2 wt.% and 6 wt.% compatibilizer. The study highlights the need for carefully choosing the right wt.% of compatibilizers when aiming to formulate polymer blends with enhanced vibration dampening properties.

The worldwide incidence of bone disorders is increasing at an alarming rate, especially among the elderly and those with increased obesity and poor physical activity. Therefore, bone tissue engineering, the process of regenerating diseased or damaged bone, is gaining increasing attention from the scientific community. One of the critical components for tissue engineering is the scaffold, an artificial extracellular matrix that promotes bone formation and regeneration activities. Due to the increasing demands for bone repair, bone tissue scaffolds have been extensively studied in state-of-the-art literature. Nevertheless, many areas related to scaffold manufacturing still offer huge scope for scientific research and development. One such area is the bioprinting of scaffolds, which combines the advantages of three-dimensional printing and biomaterials to create an ideal tissue growth support environment for bone tissue regeneration. This review highlights recent advances in the bioprinting of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Taking different biomaterial-based scaffolds as a starting point, the latest research progress and breakthrough points for enhancing the mechanical properties and bioactivities of scaffolds are summarized. Recent scientific breakthroughs related to the tailoring and creative design of scaffolds have been highlighted. New strategies and schemes for subsequent bone scaffold angiogenesis and osteogenesis promotion for new bone tissue regeneration are also discussed. This comprehensive review identifies the shift of research direction, where the biological requirements such as immune response and vascularization is prioritized over fabrication methods. Research gaps on vascularization bottlenecks, methodological and evaluation gaps, fabrication challenges and regulatory hurdles have been identified as well. Future direction of research includes AI assisted design, 4D printing, smart implants, organoid integration and benchmarking standardization of bone tissue implants.