Poly(L-lactic acid) reinforced with hydroxyapatite and tungsten disulfide nanotubes

Ofek Golan, Hila Shalom, Ifat Kaplan-Ashiri, Sidney R. Cohen, Yishay Feldman, Iddo Pinkas, Rakefet Ofek Almog, Alla Zak, Reshef Tenne

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) is a biocompatible, biodegradable, and semi-crystalline polymer with numerous applications including food packaging, medical implants, stents, tissue engineering scaffolds, etc. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the major component of natural bone. Conceptually, combining PLLA and HA could produce a bioceramic suitable for implants and bone repair. However, this nanocomposite suffers from poor mechanical behavior under tensile strain. In this study, films of PLLA and HA were prepared with small amounts of nontoxic WS2 nanotubes (INT-WS2 ). The structural aspects of the films were investigated via electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman microscopy, and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The mechanical properties were evaluated via tensile measurements, micro-hardness tests, and nanoindentation. The thermal properties were investigated via differential scanning calorimetry. The composite films exhibited improved mechanical and thermal properties compared to the films prepared from the PLLA and HA alone, which is advantageous for medical applications.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3851
JournalPolymers
Volume13
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - 8 Nov 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Funding

This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation grant No. 339/18 (Internal grant No. 120924).

FundersFunder number
Israel Science Foundation120924, 339/18

    Keywords

    • Biodegradable polymers
    • Hydroxyapatite
    • Mechanical properties
    • PLLA
    • WS nanotubes

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