Drug impregnation for laser sintered poly(methyl methacrylate) biocomposites using supercritical carbon dioxide

Multi-functional biocomposites were developed using a 3D-printing method coupled with supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)) processing. Selective laser sintering was used to prepare poly(methyl methacrylate)/beta-tri-calcium phosphate biocomposites, which were subsequently treated with an anti-inflammatory drug (flurbiprofen) in scCO(2). Drug impregnation behaviors were investigated under different temperatures and pressures (313 K and 323 K; 85-115 bar). Results show that drug molecules were able to diffuse into the biocomposite structure effectively, achieving > 26% by weight of drug uptake. Surface morphology of the materials remained unaffected upon pro-longed scCO(2) processing. Drug release data was modeled using the Weibull function, indicating potential influences of scCO(2) processing temperature on the PMMA surface and the interaction between flurbiprofen particles and PMMA matrix inside the composite structure.