The Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber/Polylatide/Chitosan Composites

Abstract

The Carbon fiber/Polylatide/Chitosan(C/PLA/CS) biomaterial composites were fabricated by using solvent blending and immersed glue moulding process, and the mechanical properties of the composites before and after degradation were researched in bending and shear modes. The results shows that the C/PLA/CS composites have excellent mechanical properties, while the volume fraction of CF and mass fraction of CS increases, there are peak values with shear or bending strength and modulus, including maximums of shear strength and modulus of 330 MPa and 16 Gpa, bending strength of 446 MPa and 23 Gpa respectively. With the time of degradation goes, the shear strength and modulus fall about 30% and 31%, and the bending strength and modulus fall about 24% and 39% after degradation in vitro for 20 weeks respectively. It is strongly suggested that the loss of strength and modulus after degadation formed firstly by the interface stress corrosion of phosphate buffer solution(PBS) simulative body fluid, and subsequently by a combination of the interface stress corrosion and the degradation of PLA and CS.