Poly(para-dioxanone)/inorganic particle composites as a novel biomaterial.

In this work, poly(para-dioxanone) (PPDO) was mixed with 1% (by weight) calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)), beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP), or calcium sulphate dihydrate (CSD) by solution co-precipitation. Samples were compression molded into bars using a platen-vulcanizing press. The morphology, thermal and mechanical properties, and crystalline structure of the composites were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. All results suggest that three types of inorganic particle in this system promote the crystallinity of PPDO and act as an effective nucleating agent: the relative degree of crystallinity of PPDO increased from 30.74% to 100%, and the crystallization temperature of PPDO was increased by 18 degrees C. On the other hand, the mechanical properties of PPDO were changed by the presence of inorganic particles: the tensile strength of PPDO/CSD increased by 11.46%.