Strong and osteoconductive poly(lactic acid) biocomposites by high-shear liquid dispersion of hydroxyapatite nanowhiskers

• Published in: Nanocomposites Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 24 - 33
• Main Authors: Zhou, Dong-Mei, Shen, Mengyuan, Ke, Lv, Zhang, Zi-Lin, Zhang, Kai-Zhe, Zhang, Shenghui, Wang, Yanqing, Yang, Hao-Ran, Tang, Daoyuan, Huang, Donghui, Yang, Jin-Kui, Xu, Huan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 31-12-2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Acids; Biomedical materials; biomineralization; Calcium; Chemical engineering; Composite materials; Dispersion; Endocrinology; high-shear liquid dispersion; Hydroxyapatite; hydroxyapatite nanowhiskers; Laboratories; Materials science; Mechanical properties; Modulus of elasticity; Nanocomposites; osteoblastic proliferation; Physics; poly(lactic acid); Polylactic acid; Roads; Shear rate; Surfactants; Tensile strength; Transplants & implants
• ISSN: 2055-0324; 2055-0332
• DOI: 10.1080/20550324.2022.2054212

Controlled incorporation of bioactive hydroxyapatite (HA) into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) signifies a promising approach to design and development of biomedical-adaptive materials. Here we unravel a microwave-assisted biomineralization approach to synthesis of HA nanowhiskers (HANWs), which were characterized by well-controlled diameter (∼30 nm) and length (80 − 120 nm), combined with a desirable calcium − phosphorus ratio (Ca/P) of 1.67. A high-shear liquid dispersion (HSLD) method that provided a combination of high pressure (up to 50 kPa) and high shear rate approaching 10000 s
−1
was established to fabricate homogeneous PLA/HANWs composites. In particular, upon incorporation of 30 wt % HANWs the tensile strength and elastic modulus of PLA-HA30 (76.7 MPa and 3.3 GPa) were elevated by 48% and 84% compared to those of pure PLA, respectively, as accompanied by a nearly 2-fold increase in the cell viability. This work paves a facile yet effective roadway to strong and osteoconductive PLA composites appealing for bone tissue repairing.
Synopsis: Biomineralization concepts are abstracted to synthesize well-defined and bioactive HANWs, which could be uniformly dispersed in PLA biofilms by high-shear liquid exfoliation.