Fiber-reinforced bioactive and bioabsorbable hybrid composites

Abstract

Bioabsorbable polymeric bone fracture fixation devices have been developed and used clinically in recent decades to replace metallic implants. An advantage of bioabsorbable polymeric devices is that these materials degrade in the body and the degradation products exit via metabolic routes. Additionally, the strength properties of the bioabsorbable polymeric devices decrease as the device degrades, which promotes bone regeneration (according to Wolff's law) as the remodeling bone tissue is progressively loaded. The most extensively studied bioabsorbable polymers are poly-α-hydroxy acids. The major limitation of the first generation of bioabsorbable materials and devices was their relatively low mechanical properties and brittle behavior. Therefore, several reinforcing techniques have been used to improve the mechanical properties. These include polymer chain orientation techniques and the use of fiber reinforcements. The latest innovation for bioactive and fiber-reinforced bioabsorbable composites is to use both bioactive and bioresorbable ceramic and bioabsorbable polymeric fiber reinforcement in the same composite structure. This solution of using bioactive and fiber-reinforced bioabsorbable hybrid composites is examined in this study.