Development of polymer composites for use in biomedical applications

In this study, FDA-approved Poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) polymer was synthesized. It is a copolymer of lactide (L) andglycolide (G) dimers and frequently preferred in tissue engineering applications. The chemical structures were confirmed by Fourier transforminfrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyzes were performed to determine their thermal properties, and tensile tests were conducted to evaluate their tensile properties. Tissue scaffolds were produced by solvent casting/particle removal method. Silane-45S5 bioactiveglass (BG) and nanocellulose (NC) were added at differen tratios in order to improve poor mechanical properties of PLGA and insufficient apatite formation for bone tissue. Firstly PLGA/sBG and PLGA/NC binary composites and then PLGA/sBG/ NC ternary composites were produced. The morphological structures of obtained tissue scaffolds were examined by Scanning ElectronMicroscopy (SEM), porosity ratios were calculated and pore diameter distributions were determined. The compression tests stated that PLGA 9/20 sBG/15 NC sample has the highest strength and Young modulus value, which were15,062±0,057 MPa and 0,495±0,007MPa, respectively. It was observed that BG addition increased the apatite formation besides NC addition increased the hydrolytic degradation. Finally, cell culture studies ofter ternary scaffolds were performed.The cytotoxic effect was not observed in all samples.