Synthesis and Characterization of PLA-Micro-structured Hydroxyapatite Composite Films
Andreea Madalina Pandele,
Andreea Constantinescu,
Ionut Cristian Radu,
Florin Miculescu,
Stefan Ioan Voicu,
Lucian Toma Ciocan
Affiliations
Andreea Madalina Pandele
Advanced Polymer Materials Group, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Material Science, University Polytehnica of Bucharest, str. Gheorghe Polizu 1-7, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Andreea Constantinescu
Faculty of Materials Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 313, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Ionut Cristian Radu
Advanced Polymer Materials Group, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Material Science, University Polytehnica of Bucharest, str. Gheorghe Polizu 1-7, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Florin Miculescu
Faculty of Materials Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 313, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Stefan Ioan Voicu
Advanced Polymer Materials Group, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Material Science, University Polytehnica of Bucharest, str. Gheorghe Polizu 1-7, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Lucian Toma Ciocan
“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Prosthetics Technology and Dental Materials Department, 37, Dionisie Lupu Street, District 1, 020022 Bucharest, Romania
This article presents a facile synthesis method used to obtain new composite films based on polylactic acid and micro-structured hydroxyapatite particles. The composite films were synthesized starting from a polymeric solution in chloroform (12 wt.%) in which various concentrations of hydroxyapatite (1, 2, and 4 wt.% related to polymer) were homogenously dispersed using ultrasonication followed by solvent evaporation. The synthesized composite films were morphologically (through SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM)) and structurally (through FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy) characterized. The thermal behavior of the composite films was also determined. The SEM and AFM analyses showed the presence of micro-structured hydroxyapatite particles in the film’s structure, as well as changes in the surface morphology. There was a significant decrease in the crystallinity of the composite films compared to the pure polymer, this being explained by a decrease in the arrangement of the polymer chains and a concurrent increase in the degree of their clutter. The presence of hydroxyapatite crystals did not have a significant influence on the degradation temperature of the composite film.
