Fabrication of Degradable Bone-Like Substitutes Based on Poly-L-lactide and β-tricalcium Phosphate

Abstract

Composite bone-like substitutes composed of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) (average particle size: 4.43 μm) were fabricated and the properties were investigated. β-TCP was prepared by wet chemical precipitation, followed by calcining at 800°C. Composite films were obtained by completely mixing dissolved PLLA with granules of β-TCP; the agglomerated β-TCP powder granules were distributed homogeneously in the PLLA matrix. PLLA/β-TCP composite materials were obtained by cold and hot pressing the composite film at a pressure of 130 MPa and temperature of 185°C–195°C. With increase of the amount of β-TCP powder, the bending strength of the composites decreased while the bending modulus increased. The fracture mechanism of the composites was significantly influenced by the content of β-TCP powder, from ductile fracture to brittle fracture as the β-TCP powder content increased.

Keywords:

• artificial bone
• composite materials
• fabrication
• poly-L-lactide
• β-tricalcium phosphate

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50604017) and the Foundation of State Key Laboratory for Powder Metallurgy, Central-south University, P.R. China.