Effects of Bioglass Nanoparticles on Bioactivity and Mechanical Property of poly(3hydroxybutirate) Scaffolds

Abstract

The development of composite scaffold materials in bone tissue engineering is gaining appeal as beneficial properties of two or more types of materials can be compounded together to achieve better mechanical and physiological demands of the host tissue. In this study, poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) was reinforced with different weight ratio of nanobioglass (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt %). The nanocomposite scaffolds were successfully prepared by the salt leaching process with various volume fractions of porosities (70, 80 and 90 wt% of NaCl). The results of our studies showed a favorable interaction between polymer and bioglass nanoparticles which improved interfaces and the mechanical property, especially in the samples which were prepared with 70 wt% NaCl. The Young's modulus of samples ranged from 7.23 MPa to 48.27 MPa, which were in the range of Young's modulus of cancellous bone. The results analysis of samples which were immersed in SBF, showed that hydroxyapatite formed on the nanocomposite scaffolds' surfaces, so they exhibit high bioactivity compared to the pure PHB scaffolds. In this study, nanobioglass as a reinforcement phase with low mass fraction can be more effective than micro-materials with high mass fraction in the other studies.