Influence of artificially-induced porosity on the compressive strength of calcium phosphate bone cements

Abstract

The biological and mechanical nature of calcium phosphate cements (CPC's) matches well with that of bone tissues, thus they can be considered as an appropriate environment for bone repair as bone defect fillers. The current study focuses on the experimental characterization of the mechanical properties of CPCs that are favorably used in clinical applications. Aiming on evaluation of their mechanical performance, tests in compression loading were conducted in order to determine the mechanical properties of the material under study. In this context, experimental results occurring from the above mechanical tests on porous specimens that were fabricated from three different porous additives, namely albumin, gelatin and sodium alginate, are provided, while assessment of their mechanical properties in respect to the used porous media is performed. Additionally, samples reinforced with hydroxyapatite crystals were also tested in compression and the results are compared with those of the above tested porous CPCs. The knowledge obtained allows the improvement of their biomechanical properties by controlling their structure in a micro level, and finds a way to compromise between mechanical and biological response.

Bioinspired Mineral–Organic Bioresorbable Bone Adhesive

“…Nevertheless, it would also be desirable to create larger pores in CPCs to favor bone colonization in the implant, accelerating the overall process of CPC replacement by bone. [22,25,27,28,46] In addition, reinforcement of CPCs using different strategies, including the addition of polymer fibers, can substantially improve their strength and toughness and has been one major direction to overcome the present mechanical limitations of CPCs. [24,33,47] Therefore, the properties of the Tetranite bone adhesive were enhanced by incorporating either salt particles to introduce porosity into the material, or polymer fibers to increase the strength of the material.…”

“…[23] CPCs are typically produced via mixing of a solid and a liquid phase, which form a paste that progressively sets and hardens into a solid mass through a dissolution and precipitation process. [22] The solid phase comprises one or several calcium phosphate compounds, such as α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP), [24,25] β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), [26,27] tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP) [28][29][30] or combinations thereof. [24,31,32] A critical problem that limits wider clinical application of CPCs is their mechanical properties, which limits their use to primarily non-load-bearing applications.…”

Preparation and Characterization of Iron-Doped Tricalcium Silicate-Based Bone Cement as a Bone Repair Material

“…For orthopedic surgery, it is necessary for bone repair materials to have a certain mechanical strength. Porosity of materials also has a certain influence on the growth of bone cells around the bone defect [ 38 ]. Therefore, the compressive strength and porosity of the Fe/C 3 S samples were both measured.…”

Three-Dimensional Coating of SF/PLGA Coaxial Nanofiber Membranes on Surfaces of Calcium Phosphate Cement for Enhanced Bone Regeneration

“…6 Besides, cements of this type are nontoxic and provide a satisfactory microenvironment for new bone growth. 7 Complex-shaped bone defects are straightforward to repair using bone cement, especially the filling of irregular cavities caused by tumor resection. 8 The porosity of bone cement is generally 30−60%, with a micropore diameter of approximately 1 μm.…”

“…Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) was successfully developed by Brown and Chow et al in 1985, an injectable, self-curing material at room temperature that can be shaped arbitrarily and which can be used in surgery for filling bone defects . Besides, cements of this type are nontoxic and provide a satisfactory microenvironment for new bone growth . Complex-shaped bone defects are straightforward to repair using bone cement, especially the filling of irregular cavities caused by tumor resection .…”