Reinforcement of bone cement using zirconia fibers with and without acrylic coating

Abstract

Acrylic (polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA) bone cement was modified by the addition of high-strength zirconia fibers with average lengths of 200 microm and diameters of 15 microm or 30 microm. A novel emulsion polymerization process was developed to encapsulate individual fibers in PMMA. Improvements in tensile and compressive properties as well as in fracture toughness were investigated upon incorporation of uncoated and acrylic coated zirconia fibers. Bone cements were reinforced with 2% by volume of the 15 microm diameter and 5% by volume of the 30 microm fibers. Results indicate that elastic modulus and ultimate strength of bone cements reinforced with zirconia fibers were higher than controls, being the largest for cements reinforced with 30 microm diameter fibers. The fracture toughness of the cement increased by 23% and 41% by the addition of 15 microm and 30 microm fibers, respectively. Coating of individual zirconia fibers did not result in improved material properties of bone cements. The use of uncoated or acrylic coated 30 microm fibers is recommended based on the significant increases in ultimate strength and fracture toughness of the cements.

Development and characterization of new AR glass fiber‐reinforced cements with potential medical applications

“…The self‐curing resin cements proposed in this study could be used as materials in bone surgery and, if the light‐curing is possible, as glue for bone defect treatment 26. Increasing the elastic modulus of bone cements with reinforcements has important implications in contributing toward an improved load transfer from the prosthetic stem to bone57 and toward reducing the fracture of cements and the prosthesis failure. Improving mechanical properties had a positive effect to prevent bone loss at the proximal end of the prosthesis, implying an improvement in implant life 57.…”

Bioceramic Nanofibres by Electrospinning

“…Recently, Li et al [34] fabricated hollow fibres of yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) by calcination of electrospun composite fibres from sol comprised of zirconium oxychloride, yttrium nitrate and PVP, where the fibres were reported to be made of polycrystalline tetragonal phase ZrO 2 (Figure 3c). On the other hand, Kotha et al [35] reported reinforcement of bone cements using ZrO 2 fibres, supporting the potential applications of zirconia in orthopaedic applications. Li et al [36] studied the phase transformation and morphological evolution of electrospun ZrO 2 nanofibres during thermal annealing and reported that at different thermal cycles, the monoclinic-to-tetragonal transformation temperatures remained virtually unchanged, while the reverse transition temperatures systematically shifted from 924.9 to 978.6 °C with the progress of thermal cycles.…”

Preparation of High-Quality Zirconia Fibers by Super-High Rotational Centrifugal Spinning of Inorganic Sol

“…Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions INTRODUCTION Zirconia (ZrO 2 ) fibers, including continuous fibers, fibermats, hollow fibers, nanofibers, and single crystal fibers, have attracted much attention in the field of composite reinforcement [1][2][3], thermal insulation [4,5], catalyst support [6], solid oxide fuel cells [7,8], biomedical material [9], and optical sensors [10] for decades. Especially, zirconia fibers are regarded as outstanding adiabatic materials used at ultra-hightemperatures even up to 2200 C in the field of aerospace, high-temperature electric furnace, single crystal growth furnace, etc owing to their high-temperature resistance, low thermal conductivity, and excellent corrosion resistance.…”