Characterization, Thermal and Biological Properties of PCL/PLA/PEG/N-HA Composites

Abstract

Initially, the use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology is mainly for the production of prototypes of a new invention and design. However, the AM technology had extended to the tooling industry, medical scaffolding, and direct part production. This is due to the extensive research and development carried out around the globe regardless of the material, equipment, and technology of AM. In this study, characterization and properties of PCL/PLA/PEG/Nano-HA polymer composites were investigated. Polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) composites were prepared by melting and compounding the mixture using a Brabender machine. The composition of the materials was determined by previous research that it is the optimum recipe, with the ratio of PCL:PLA is 7:3 while the composition of PEG and nano-HA is 5% per hundred resin each. The temperature of the Brabender machine was set at 160°C, and the speed of the mixer was set at 30 rpm. After the mixing, the composites were characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine the spectrum and quality of the composite mixed. Based on the spectrum, it can be verified that the characteristic of n-HA powder had been incorporated well into the PCL/PLA/PEG polymer blend. The thermal properties of the composites were investigated by using Thermogravimetry Analyzer (TGA). The results showed that the addition of n-HA lowered the initial degradation temperature and peak degradation temperature. Apparently, the addition of n- HA did not increase the degradation temperature of the composites. Furthermore, Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) test was carried out to access the bioactivity properties of the composites after the addition of n-HA. The results had proved that the addition of n-HA had triggered the growth of apatite layer on the surface of the samples treated with SBF. The growth of the apatite layer was verified by the X-ray Diffraction pattern, and the results proved the initial assumptions.