The degradation properties of co-continuous calcium phosphate polyester composites: insights with synchrotron micro-computer tomography

This study investigates the in vitro degradation properties of composites consisting of a porous tricalcium phosphate (TCP) foam filled with degradable poly(dl-lactic acid) (PDLLA) via either in situ polymerization or infiltration. The motivation was to develop a material for bone repair that would be initially mechanically strong and would develop porosity during degradation of one of the components. A thorough analysis of the physical in vitro degradation properties has been conducted and reported by the same authors elsewhere. Synchrotron micro-computer tomography analysis (conducted at ID19, ESRF, Grenoble, France) allowed detailed insights to be gained into the process of the composites' degradation, which was discovered to be strongly influenced by the manufacturing method. The polymer phase of in situ-polymerized TCP-PDLLA degraded as a bulk sample, with faster degradation in the centre of the sample as a whole. In contrast, the polymer phase of infiltrated TCP-PDLLA degraded as individual polymer spheres with faster degradation in the centre of each sphere.