Characterization of PLA/PCL/Nano-Hydroxyapatite (nHA) Biocomposites Prepared via Cold Isostatic Pressing

Abstract

Hydroxyapatite has the closest chemical composition to human bone. Despite this, the use of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) to produce biocomposite scaffolds from a mixture of polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) using cold isostatic pressing has not been studied intensively. In this study, biocomposites were created employing nHA as an osteoconductive filler and a polymeric blend of PLA and PCL as a polymer matrix for prospective usage in the medical field. Cold isostatic pressing and subsequent sintering were used to create composites with different nHA concentrations that ranged from 0 to 30 weight percent. Using physical and mechanical characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and density, porosity, tensile, and flexural standard tests, it was determined how the nHA concentrations affected the biocomposite’s general properties. In this study, the presence of PLA, PCL, and nHA was well identified using FTIR, XRD, and SEM methods. The biocomposites with high nHA content showed intense bands for symmetric stretching and the asymmetric bending vibration of PO43−. The incorporation of nHA into the polymeric blend matrix resulted in a rather irregular structure and the crystallization became more difficult. The addition of nHA improved the density and tensile and flexural strength of the PLA/PCL matrix (0% nHA). However, with increasing nHA content, the PLA/PCL/nHA biocomposites became more porous. In addition, the density, flexural strength, and tensile strength of the PLA/PCL/nHA biocomposites decreased with increasing nHA concentration. The PLA/PCL/nHA biocomposites with 10% nHA had the highest mechanical properties with a density of 1.39 g/cm3, a porosity of 1.93%, a flexural strength of 55.35 MPa, and a tensile strength of 30.68 MPa.

In vitro and in vivo Evaluation of Folic Acid Modified DOX-Loaded 32P-nHA Nanoparticles in Prostate Cancer Therapy

“…The XRD analysis of the nHA powder showed ( Figure 2C ) that all the peaks were based on the characteristic structure of HA, and no crystalline phases except HA were observed, our result was similar to the work of Solechan et al 34 The characteristic absorption peaks were detected at 25.8°, 31.7°, and 32.8°, which are the typical diffraction peaks of HA crystals (002), (211), and (300). The above results proved the success of HA synthesis.…”

Scalable Fabrication of Polymeric Composite Microspheres to Inhibit Oral Pathogens and Promote Osteogenic Differentiation of Periodontal Membrane Stem Cells

“…In addition to the typical IR absorption of sc crystallites at 908 cm –1 , the bands at 1608 and 1625, 3500 cm –1 belong to the benzene ring skeleton and hydroxyl groups of EGCG, respectively . The characteristic peaks of nHA are evident at 564 and 603 cm –1 , which are assigned to vibrations of PO 4 3– . According to the TGA results (Figure D), the nHA content in the hybrid composite microspheres can be figured out.…”

“…51 The characteristic peaks of nHA are evident at 564 and 603 cm −1 , which are assigned to vibrations of PO 4 3− . 52 According to the TGA results (Figure 3D), the nHA content in the hybrid composite microspheres can be figured out. The residual mass after thermal decomposition is 0.5, 1.7, 7.5, and 16.6% for 0E0H, 6E0H, 6E5H, and 6E15H, respectively.…”

Preparation of nanofibrous poly (L-lactic acid) scaffolds using the thermally induced phase separation technique in dioxane/polyethylene glycol solution

“…In addition, the half peak width and the diffraction peak intensity of the composite scaffolds were decreased slightly. This might be attributable to the presence of the heterogeneous nucleating agent after the addition of HA into the polymer solution, and it affected the movement of the PLLA molecular chain, thus decreasing its crystallinity [ 39 ].

Figure 10.

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