Fabrication of Biocompatible Composites of Poly(lactic acid)/Hydroxyapatite Envisioning Medical Applications

Over the last years, orthopedic procedures for bone repairs have been developed due to an increase in trauma and diseases. The development of bioactive composites using biodegradable polymers like poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and bioactive fillers as hydroxyapatite (HA) originate biomaterials, which combine bioactivity of HA and PLA biocompatibility. Therefore, using additive manufacturing is possible for the production of customized products made from these materials; however, a thorough study of these materials is required. In this context, melt-compounding has been used to manufacture bioactive composites of PLA/HA, and rheological, molecular, and thermomechanical behavior were assessed. The biocomposite of PLA with 10 wt% HA presented a strong shear thinning behavior, which makes it more suitable for fused filament fabrication since lower printing pressure is required. Furthermore, this composite presented an enhancement of 12% in thermomechanical properties in comparison to PLA and a slight increase in cell proliferation. PLA and PLA/HA were fabricated and used to produce 3D calibrations cube as a proof of concept. They presented good printability and high accuracy, and therefore, further investigation needs to be performed to unleash its use in bone tissue engineering applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2020. (c) 2020 Society of Plastics Engineers (AU)