Graphene Reinforced Polyether Ether Ketone Nanocomposites for Bone Repair Applications

Abstract

To improve the performance of polyether ether ketone matrix (PEEK) in hard tissue repair and replacement applications, we fabricated graphene (G) reinforced PEEK with graded G concentrations (0.1%-5%) through injection molding. The mechanical properties, surface morphology, chemical composition and thermal stability of the composites have been characterized through universal mechanical testing, scanning electron microscopy, contact-angle measurement, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis system. The biocompatibility has been assessed in vitro and the bone repair function of the composite implant have been assessed in vivo using a rabbit mandibular bone defect model. Mechanical testing results suggest that the composite samples have compressive moduli similar to that of the natural bone. Although addition of G into PEEK does not significantly influence the composite tensile, flexural or compressive moduli, it can significantly enhance the ductility and toughness of the material. On the other hand, all G-reinforced PEEK implants demonstrated enhanced adhesion and differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), with 5% G-PEEK showing the highest bioactivity among all samples. The in vivo osseointegration data further revealed that 5% G-PEEK has the best effect in promoting osseointegration and bone regeneration, in both early stage and late stage bone re-growth. Study shows that our G-reinforced PEEK-based implants provides a promising strategy for enhancing the performance of future regenerative bone implants.<br>

Chitosan/Silver Nanoparticle/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites with Multi-Drug Release, Antimicrobial, and Photothermal Conversion Functions

“…This may lead to agglomeration of the AgNPs and/or GO (also see Figure S2 ), leading to the raspberry-like AgNP morphology. While well dispersed nanofillers have been reported to enhance the composite mechanical properties, it is also widely recognized that agglomeration of nanofiller materials can cause local stress concentration, thus deteriorating the mechanical properties of the resulting composites [ 47 ].…”

The Transfer Film Effects Induced by 3D Printing Polyether-ether-ketone with Excellent Tribological Properties

“…Nevertheless, new generations of joint prostheses have shown the trend of gradually replacing metal joints with polymer joints, especially polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) prostheses [6][7][8]. PEEK possesses good biocompatibility and high mechanical property close to the strength of natural cortical bone [9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

3D Printed Multifunctional PEEK Bone Scaffold for Multimodal Treatment of Osteosarcoma and Osteomyelitis

“…Its thermoplastic nature also allows it to be 3D printed into tissue scaffold with be-spoke geometry [21]. One major limitation of PEEK is its lack of bioactivity, which impedes its application for bone regeneration [22,23]. To address this issue, various strategies (such as surface coating or bulk reinforcement with bioactive agents) have been adopted to enhance the bioactivity of PEEK implants, a detailed review of which can be found in [24].…”