Sol-gel derived nanoscale bioactive glass (NBG) particles reinforced poly(epsilon-caprolactone) composites for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of the addition of sal-gel derived nanoscale bioactive glass (NBG) particles on the mechanical properties and biological performances of PCL polymer, in order to evaluate the potential applications of PCL/NBG composites for bone tissue regeneration. Regardless of the NBG contents (10, 20, and 30 wt.%), the NBG particles, which were synthesized through the sol-gel process using polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymer as a template, could be uniformly dispersed in the PCL matrix, while generating pores in the PCL/NBG composites. The elastic modulus of the PCL/NBG composites increased remarkably from 89 +/- 11 MPa to 383 +/- 50 MPa with increasing NBG content from 0 to 30 wt.%, while still showing good ultimate tensile strength in the range of 15-19 MPa. The hydrophilicity, water absorption and degradation behavior of the PCL/NBG composites were also enhanced by the addition of the NBG particles. Furthermore, the PCL/NBG composite with a NBG content of 30 wt.% showed significantly enhanced in vitro bioactivity and cellular response compared to those of the pure PCL. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.