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Novel polymer‐synthesized ceramic composite–based system for bone repair: An in vitro evaluation
Author(s) -
Khan Yusuf M.,
Katti Dhirendra S.,
Laurencin Cato T.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.30051
Subject(s) - materials science , composite number , ceramic , composite material , polymer , ceramic composite , biomedical engineering , medicine
Abstract The emergence of synthetic bone repair scaffolds has been necessitated by the limitations of both autografts and allografts. Several candidate materials are available including degradable polymers and ceramics. However, these materials possess their own limitations that at least in part may be overcome by combining the two materials into a composite. Toward that end, a novel approach to forming a polymer/ceramic composite has been developed that combines degradable poly(lactide‐ co ‐glycolide) microspheres and a poorly crystalline calcium phosphate that is synthesized within the microspheres, which are then fused together to form a porous three‐dimensional scaffold for bone repair. The design, fabrication, and characterization of the composite microspheres, the calcium phosphate formed within these microspheres, and the formation of scaffolds were studied. The calcium phosphate formed was analyzed by x‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, and was shown to be similar to native bone in both composition and crystallinity by controlling certain processing parameters such as mixing time, solution pH, and mixing temperature. Scaffolds with porous interconnected structures and mechanical properties in the range of trabecular bone were fabricated via precise control of polymer/ceramic ratios within the microspheres and scaffold heating times. This composite scaffold represents a new and important vehicle for bone‐tissue engineering. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 69A: 728–737, 2004