Jan Geier

Bachelor student

Surface modified PEEK/BG composite for bone regeneration

 

Supervisors: Zhiyan Xu, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a polyaromatic semi-crystalline thermoplastic with favorable mechanical properties for bio-medical applications [1]. It exhibits biocompatibility, and resistance to corrosion. However, PEEK is bioinert, lacking osseointegration after implantation, which leads to a higher a chance of implant failure. Mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNs) prepared by sol-gel method have attracted much attention in the field of tissue regeneration due to their customizable microstructures and chemical composition [2]. In this project, a PEEK/MBGNs composite will be fabricated. To further improve the osteoinductive and antimicrobial capabilities, different types of surface functionalization on PEEK/MBGNs composites will be investigated.

[1] Panayotov, I. V., Orti, V., Cuisinier, F., & Yachouh, J. (2016). Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) for medical applications. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 27. Article number: 118.

[2]  Zheng, K., Balasubramanian, P., Paterson, T. E., Stein, R., MacNeil, S., Fiorilli, S., Vitale-Brovarone, C., Shepherd, J., & Boccaccini, A. R. (2019). Ag modified mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles for enhanced antibacterial activity in 3D infected skin model. Materials Science and Engineering: C, 103, 109764.