Fabrication of hydrophilic polymer-hybrid octacalcium phosphate blocks under wet condition based on cement setting reactions

Abstract

Bioceramics, while offering excellent biocompatibility, are often compromised by their fragility and brittleness, especially under wet conditions. Even though recent hybrid processes combining biocompatible polymers and bioceramics have shown promise, complete mitigation of these challenges remains elusive. In this research, a biomimetic process was employed to mimic the structure of biological bone tissue. This led to the development of block materials composed of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) and sodium polyacrylic acid (PAA-Na) that display flexibility and resilience in wet conditions. Adjusting the PAA-Na concentration enabled the OCP-PAA-Na blocks to demonstrate superior mechanical strength when dry and increased flexibility when wet. Notably, these blocks expanded in aqueous solutions while preserving their structure, making them ideal for oral surgeries by preventing issues like blood flooding from implanted areas.