Performance evolution of the Nano Boron nitride enhanced bone cement composites

Abstract

Bone cement is a research hotspot and has been partially applied in the field of bone repair thanks to the good mechanical, physical and antibacterial properties. However, the easy wear and high temperature during curing characteristics would cause surrounding tissue necrosis, which seriously limits the wider application to some extent. In this work, the hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nano flakes were optimized to enhance the bone cement matrix (PMMA) via mechanical doping. The doping of h-BN into PMMA results in an improved mechanical (bending stress increased by 26%), thermal-conductivity (increased by 175% with the loading of 20 wt%), wear-resistance properties, in addition, the h-BN has no significant impact on cell activity. What’s more, the co-modification of PMMA with h-BN and Vancomycin (Va) endows the bone cement composites with more persistent drug release characteristics. This comprehensive performance evolution evaluation provides a reference for the innovative application of modified bone cement.