The effect of hydroxyapatite filler on biodegradable poly(sorbitol sebacate malate) composites

Abstract

Biodegradable poly(sorbitol sebacate malate)/hydroxyapatite (PSSM/HA) composites were successfully synthesized through one step catalyst-free polycondensation of sorbitol, sebacic acid, malic acid, and HA powder as filler for the composites. The addition of HA improved the tensile modulus and strength of the materials compared with pure PSSM. The elongation at break of the composites was slightly reduced with increasing HA content. The PSSM and HA showed good compatibility, which was evidenced by good distributions of HA particles in the matrix. In vitro degradation and cytotoxicity tests were conducted to investigate the degradation profile and the toxicity of the biocomposites, respectively. The biocomposites also degraded nearly up to similar to 50% after 6 weeks of study and the degradation products were shown non-cytotoxic. It was observed that the biocomposites were soft, elastic with Young's modulus and also biodegradable which is potential to be used in biomedical fields such as tissue engineering application.