Journal
POLYMER ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE
Volume 62, Issue 4, Pages 1147-1155Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/pen.25913
Keywords
3D printing; antimicrobial; electrospinning; nanocomposite; polylactic acid; thermal properties
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Funding
- Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior [001]
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This study investigated the mechanical performance, antimicrobial effect, and potential application in bone implants of a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofiber composites. The results demonstrated that the PLA/ZnO nanocomposites exhibited improved mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity compared to pure PLA, indicating their potential use in bone implants.
The application of biodegradable and biocompatible polymer poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in the medical field has been widely studied. In this study, films of neat PLA and PLA containing 1 wt% ZnO nanofibers obtained by electrospinning (PLA/ZnO) were successfully molded by solvent-cast three-dimensional (3D) printing. Mechanical behavior was assessed by conventional dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and by adapting the equipment conditions to simulate a mechanical fatigue test at human body temperature-cyclic stress in isotherm at 36.5 degrees C. DMA results showed that for temperatures above 30 degrees C, the storage module of PLA/ZnO was higher when compared to neat PLA, and in the fatigue test, PLA/ZnO withstood more than 3600 cycles while neat PLA failed after an average of 1768 cycles. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests revealed that cyclic stress did not cause changes in the degree of crystallinity of the PLA. The microdilution and plating methods were applied to bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli) and to yeast (Candida albicans) and revealed the antimicrobial effect of ZnO nanofibers and the PLA/ZnO composite. The antimicrobial activity and fatigue resistance of PLA/ZnO nanocomposites indicate that the material has potential for application in bone implants.
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