Synthesis and characterization of poly (vinylidene fluoride)-calcium phosphate composite for potential tissue engineering applications

Tricalcium phosphate is the most commonly used biomaterial because of its good biocompatibility. However, its poor mechanical strength under complex stress and powder-like appearance hinder its application. The use of a composite biomaterial which maintains a fine balance between excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility can be a solution to this problem. In the present study, we aimed to fabricate porous composite scaffolds via phase-inversion technique without using any additional toxic chemicals which can interfere with their biocompatibility. The composite materials fabricated of poly (vinylidene fluoride) and tricalcium phosphates were prepared, using polyvinyl pyrrolidone as a dispersant. The resulting scaffolds were characterized by using attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), therm gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and universal tensile strength (UTM) analysis. The composites showed well blend of materials and internal porous structures. The XRD results indicated a mixture of alpha and beta-phases due to successful incorporation of tricalcium phosphate in polymer blends, thereby, exhibiting a crystalline structure. The fabricated composites showed an efficient thermal stability at around 400 degrees C. The tensile strength of scaffolds increased from 140 +/- 1.6 to 148 +/- 2.2 g/mm(2), which makes the composite scaffold potential candidate for hard tissue applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.