Fabrication and characterization of a PAM modified PHBV/BG scaffold

Abstract

In order to improve the bioactivity and mechanical strength of the scaffold used in bone repair simultaneously, a novel porous PAM-poly (β-hydroxybutyrate-co-β-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/bioactive glass (BG) scaffold was prepared by photo-initiated polymerization. PAM was used to improve the hydrophilicity of PHBV matrix while the BG particles were added to increase the bioactivity and strength of the matrix synchronously. The grafted amide group and Si-O moieties from acrylamide and the added BG were confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR). The micromorphology of the scaffolds before and after grafting was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The resulting images demonstrate that the PAM-PHBV/BG scaffold has a well connected pore structure and appropriate pore size which may be convenient for cells to grow and discharge metabolites. The specific gravity method was used to evaluate the pore property of the scaffold and the result shows that the scaffold has an average porosity up to 82.0%. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) indicated that the pores of PAM-PHBV/BG scaffold were mainly distributed between 75 and 150 μm. The compressive strength test was adopted to evaluate the mechanical property of the scaffold. The result shows that the PAM-PHBV/BG scaffold has a relatively high compressive strength (0.91 MPa) when compared with the pure PHBV scaffold. Besides, the properties of the pure PHBV scaffold, PHBV/BG scaffold were also evaluated. The newly prepared PAM-PHBV/BG scaffold may be worthy of further studying as a bone repair material.