Title
Recycled porcine bone powder as filler in thermoplastic composite materials enriched with chitosan for a bone scaffold application
Date Issued
02 August 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Publisher(s)
MDPI AG
Abstract
This work aims to synthesize biocompatible composite materials loaded with recycled porcine bone powder (BP) to fabricate scaffolds for in-situ reconstruction of bone structures. Polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) were tested as matrices in percentages from 40 wt% to 80 wt%. Chitosan (CS) was selected for its antibacterial properties, in the amount from 5 wt% to 15 wt%, and BP from 20 wt% to 50 wt% as active filler to promote osseointegration. In this preliminary investigation, samples have been produced by solvent casting to introduce the highest possible percentage of fillers. PCL has been chosen as a matrix due to its greater ability to incorpo-rate fillers, ensuring their adequate dispersion and lower working temperatures compared to PLA. Tensile tests demonstrated strength properties (6–10 MPa) suitable for hard tissue engineering appli-cations. Based on the different findings (integration of PLA in the composite system, improvements in CS adhesion and mechanical properties), the authors supposed an optimization of the synthesis process, focused on the possible implementation of the electrospinning technique to develop PCL-BP composites reinforced with PLA-CS microfibers. Finally, biological tests were conducted to evaluate the antibacterial activity of CS, demonstrating the applicability of the materials for the biomedical field.
Volume
13
Issue
16
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencia de los polímeros
Ingeniería química
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85113238173
Source
Polymers
ISSN of the container
20734360
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus