Effect of ceramic filler content on the mechanical and thermal behaviour of poly-L-lactic acid and poly-L-lactic-co-glycolic acid composites for medical applications.

One main application of resorbable poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and poly-L-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) based materials is in medical implants. In this study composites were made from PLLA and PLGA with hydroxyapatite (HAp) respective beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP) fillers. The filler content and particle size were varied, and the thermal properties as well as the mechanical strength of the composites were investigated.