Toughening of Bioceramic Composites for Bone Regeneration

Abstract

Bioceramics are widely considered as elective materials for the regeneration of bone tissue, due to their compositional mimicry with bone inorganic components. However, they are intrinsically brittle, which limits their capability to sustain multiple biomechanical loads, especially in the case of load-bearing bone districts. In the last decades, intense research has been dedicated to combining processes to enhance both the strength and toughness of bioceramics, leading to bioceramic composite scaffolds. This review summarizes the recent approaches to this purpose, particularly those addressed to limiting the propagation of cracks to prevent the sudden mechanical failure of bioceramic composites.

Sustainable Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

“…Bioceramic is an important biocompatible ceramic material with excellent bioactivity, chemical stability, thermal resistance, and tissue-like mechanical characteristics. Bioceramics have been used as a nanoporous scaffold material to repair and reconstruct damaged tissues, fill bone defects, and deliver drug molecules [ 139 , 140 , 141 , 142 ]. Bioceramics, such as calcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite, can be extracted from natural waste materials (eggshell, bovine bone, fish bone, and seashells), which are widely geographically available at low cost.…”

Ceramic Materials for Biomedical Applications: An Overview on Properties and Fabrication Processes

“…In most cases, it is necessary to increase the bending strength, reduce elasticity, and avoid material failure. As a positive effect, it was reported that the fracture toughness and flexural strength of bioceramics increased in wet environments [ 85 ]. To overcome the above limitation, the usage of bioceramic coatings and the development of nanocomposite ceramics should be considered as appropriate approaches [ 86 , 87 ].…”

Special Features of Polyester-Based Materials for Medical Applications

“…Usually, materials used to repair bone defects are metallic biomaterials [ 36 , 37 ], bioceramics [ 38 , 39 ], and natural and synthetic polymers [ 40 , 41 ]. Hydroxyapatite (HA; (Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 )) has been used as filler in polymer composites to improve the biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and porosity of biomaterials due to its similarity in structure and composition to bone and enamel, or to create polyester nanografts that impart the biodegradability and bioresorbability of polymers with their osteoconductivity, osteoinductivity, and osteointegration properties [ 42 , 43 ].…”