Low Temperature Fabrication of β-TCP-PCL Nanocomposites for Bone Implants

A method to fabricate strong bioresorbable calcium phosphate-polymer nanocomposites with low polymer content without exposing the material to excessively high-processing temperatures is reported. Dense beta-TCP-based nanocomposites containing 5 or 15 vol% of uniformly distributed polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer were obtained by mixing beta-TCP nano powder with PCL dissolved in chloroform followed by room temperature consolidation at the high pressure of 2.5 GPa (cold sintering). The composites had an attractive combination of compressive strength and ductility, and their dissolution behavior was similar to that of pure cold sintered beta-TCP. The immersion of beta-TCP PCL composites in simulated body fluid (SBF) yielded in vitro deposition of a bone-like apatite layer suggesting the ability of these materials to bind to native bone tissue upon implantation.