SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A POLYMER COMPOSITE FOR BIO-MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Biological implants, specifically scaffolds, have the issue of being very limited in terms of their diversity. With the progression of time, more research needs to be done in order to devise newer implants from a wider selection of materials in order to meet the demand. Therefore, in this final year project, we aimed to synthesize a composite of Poly-butylene succinate (PBS) and Hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles, the nanoparticles will act as a filler to improve the mechanical properties, namely the strength and stiffness of the composite. Both the materials are biocompatible but a composite of the two has not yet been synthesized according to literature nor have they been considered for tissue implantation together. The completed polymer will undergo the required testing in order to prove that it has the required properties of a scaffold which can be implanted in the human body, furthermore, the surface texture will also be mapped along with roughness to improve cell adhesion.