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Hydration effects on the micro-mechanical properties of bone

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Abstract

Bone is a composite material with hydroxyapatite mineral, collagen, and water as primary components. Water plays an important role in maintaining the mechanical integrity of the composite, but the manner in which water interacts within the collagen and mineral at ultrastructural length-scales is poorly understood. The current study examined changes in the mechanical properties of bone as a function of hydration state. Tissues were soaked in different solvents and solutions, with different polarities, to manipulate tissue hydration. Mineralized bone was characterized using nanoindentation creep tests for quantification of both the elastic and viscoelastic mechanical responses, which varied dramatically with tissue bathing solution. The results were considered within the context of solution physical chemistry. Selectively removing and then replacing water provided insights into the ultrastructure of the tissues via the corresponding changes in the experimentally determined mechanical responses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK

    A. K. Bembey & A. J. Bushby

  2. Biophysics Section, Centre for Oral Growth and Development, Dental Institute, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 1BB, UK

    A. Boyde

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, USA

    V. L. Ferguson

  4. Center for Applied Biomechanics, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22902, USA

    M. L. Oyen

Authors
  1. A. K. Bembey
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  2. A. J. Bushby
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  3. A. Boyde
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  4. V. L. Ferguson
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  5. M. L. Oyen
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Correspondence to A. K. Bembey.

Additional information

These authors were editors of this focus issue during the review and decision stage. For the JMR policy on review and publication of manuscripts authored by editors, please refer to http://www.mrs.org/publications/jmr/policy.html.

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Bembey, A.K., Bushby, A.J., Boyde, A. et al. Hydration effects on the micro-mechanical properties of bone. Journal of Materials Research 21, 1962–1968 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2006.0237

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2006.0237

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