Piezoelectric materials lead to bone regeneration: from basic research to the exploration of innovation pathways

The repair of bone injuries presents a complex challenge in therapeutics due to the limitations of traditional bone repair methods. This paper reviews the progress in applying piezoelectric materials to bone tissue engineering and explores their potential for promoting bone regeneration. The background of bone injury and importance of tissue engineering were introduced to emphasize the effect of electric fields on cell behavior and its key role in bone regeneration. The biocompatibility and piezoelectric properties of piezoelectric materials, such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), were studied and various strategies to improve their piezoelectric properties and biocompatibility were also summarized in this work. In addition, this paper examines how to improve the piezoelectric properties of PVDF by controlling its β-crystalline phase and how to mimic the natural microenvironment of bone to promote osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation. This review paper could provide the method for improving piezoelectric materials' performance and biocompatibility, which may advance the development of piezoelectric based bone generation products.