Development and characterization of PLA/Joncryl/Mg-based biotive composites

Abstract

Magnesium (Mg) is a biodegradable material that has outstanding performance, as well as being an essential element in the human body, partially stored in bone tissue. The presence of Mg in bone tissue promotes resistance and stimulates bone growth and has similar density and Young's modulus properties to human bone, then it a promising material for biomedical applications. However, in the bodily environment it undergoes rapid degradation and local alkalinization. Thus, controlling the rate of Mg degradation becomes a necessary strategy to allow the human body to progressively adjust or deal with the by-products of biodegradation. This can be done by incorporating the biomethal into a biocompatible/bioabsorbable polymer matrix. Poly(lactic acid), PLA, a polyester derived from lactic acid obtained from renewable sources, has stood out in this context. Conventional techniques for producing composites based on thermoplastic polymers/bioactive fillers generally employ high temperatures and shear rates which, in the presence of certain fillers, can lead to severe degradation of the polymer matrix. One way of recovering the molar mass of the polyester matrix is by adding chain extenders to the composition.