Effect of beta-tricalcium phosphate on the thermal foaming behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol)/water system

摘要

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP, Ca-3 (PO4)(2)) porous composite, which has potential application in articular cartilage repair, was prepared through thermal foaming using water as both plasticizer and physical blowing agent. The effects of beta-TCP content on the foaming behavior, the structure and properties of the porous composites were studied. The results showed that beta-TCP could form hydrogen bonds or coordination interaction with PVA and water; with the incorporation of beta-TCP, the content of nonfreezable bound water in system increased, the water evaporation reduced, beneficial to the controllable foaming of water. The interactions between PVA-beta-TCP led to the enhanced melt viscosity of PVA. Simultaneously, the beta-TCP particles in matrix could act as heterogeneous nucleation agent to increase the cell density. When beta-TCP content was 7.4 wt , the porous composite showed the optimal cell structure, i. e., 250 mu m average cell size and 87 porosity. The dynamic modulus of the porous composites increased with beta-TCP content and showed frequency-dependence. The surface contact angle and permeability of the porous composites varied with beta-TCP content, which ranged from 35 degrees to 48 degrees and 11 X 10(-14) to 27 X 10(-14) m(2), respectively. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.