Grafting of calcium chelating functionalities onto PLA monofilament fiber surfaces.

Polymer surface grafting is widely used in the field of bone regeneration to increase calcium phosphate (CaP) adhesion, with the intent of improving mechanical properties of CaP-polymer composite cements. Reinforcement can be achieved using multiple combined functional groups and/or complex surface geometries that, however, concurrently influence multiple effects such as wetting, roughness, and interfacial strengthening. This study focused on the influence of a chelating group, namely aspartic acid, on the adsorption of divalent ions such as Ba or Ca onto poly-l-lactic acid (PLA) films.

Absorbable mineral nanocomposite for biomedical applications: Influence of homogenous fiber dispersity on mechanical properties.

Electrospun micro- and nanosized fibers are frequently used as reinforcing elements in low temperature ceramic composites for biomedical applications. Electrospinning of fibers yield, however, not individual fibers, but rather fiber-mats that are difficult to separate. Most investigations have been performed on diced mats and highly nonhomogenous composites.

Fabrication of biopolymer-based staple electrospun fibres for nanocomposite applications by particle-assisted low temperature ultrasonication.

We demonstrate the fabrication of staple polymer-based fibres by the ultrasound-assisted processing of electrospun meshes. Bioabsorbable Poly-L-Lactic Acid (PLLA) was electrospun from organic solvent mixtures, yielding continuous fibres with diameters in the range of 244±78 nm. Subsequently, the obtained fibres were sonicated at low temperatures in the presence of nanoparticles in order to obtain fibres with small aspect ratios.