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Hydroxyapatite Whisker Reinforced Polyetherketoneketone Bone Ingrowth Scaffolds

    • Reference:
    • Hydroxyapatite whisker reinforced polyetherketoneketone bone ingrowth scaffolds.
    • Keywords:
    • Hydroxyapatite, biocomposite, PEKK, polytherketoneketone
    • Permissions:
    • This preprint version of the manuscript is being made publicly available at www.medicalpeek.org with permission of Elsevier. The final published version of this article can be accessed from Acta Biomaterialia.

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Abstract

Hydroxyapatite (HA) whisker reinforced polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) bone ingrowth scaffolds were prepared and characterized. High levels of porosity (75-90%) and HA whisker reinforcement (0-40 vol%) were attained using a powder processing approach to mix the HA whiskers, PEKK powder and a NaCl porogen, followed by compression molding at 350-375°C and particle leaching to remove the porogen. The scaffold architecture and microstructure exhibited characteristics known to be favorable for osteointegration. Scaffold porosity was interconnected with a mean pore size in the range 200-300 μm as measured by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). HA whiskers were embedded within and exposed on the surface of scaffold struts, producing a micro-scale surface topography, shown by von Kossa staining and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Therefore, HA whisker reinforced PEKK bone ingrowth scaffolds may be advantageous for orthopaedic implant fixation, including interbody spinal fusion.

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