Study on the properties of PLA/PBAT composite modified by nanohydroxyapatite

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-Co-terephthalate) (PBAT) show high and excellent biocompatibility, which are promising materials used in bone tissue engineering field. In this research, n-HA/PLA/PBAT/MCC composites were prepared by solution blending method. Nano hydroxyapatite (n-HA) was used as nucleation, and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was added to improve the degradation performance of the materials. Compared with the composite without n-HA, the crystallinity of the composites with 6% n-HA was increased by 62%. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the n-HA was evenly dispersed in the composites when the addition ration of n-HA was lower than 6%, while obvious agglomeration of n-HA appeared at the addition ratio of 10%. The tensile test demonstrated that the tensile strength of the composites with different addition ratio transcended the needs of bone tissue engineering materials. The introduction of n-HA in obtained composites simulated the composition and structure of native bone, which suggested a potential utility and application prospect in bone tissue engineering.