Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable AZ31/calcium phosphate glass composites for orthopedic applications

The advent of biodegradable implants is one of the greatest achievements in the healthcare industry; however, practical drawbacks have hindered their initial stunning progress. Fabrication of ceramic-metal composites partially improves the performance of these medical devices. In this research, AZ31-calcium phosphate glass composites with different glass contents (0-15 wt.%) were synthesized via the powder metallurgy route. The results demonstrated that increasing the glass particle content improved microhardness and compressive strength up to 40% and 50%, respectively. Moreover, corrosion resistance to the SBF solution was reduced and the cell viability of AZ31-calcium phosphate glass composites was increased considerably by the addition of glass particles, based on MTT assay. Eventually, higher biocompatibility and appropriate cell attachment in the composite containing 15 wt.% glass indicated that AZ31-calcium phosphate glass composite has a great potential for using as orthopedic biodegradable implants.