Flexural properties of crosslinked and oligomer-modified glass-fibre reinforced acrylic bone cement

The flexural properties of oligomer-modified bone cement with various quantities of crosslinking monomer with or without glass fibre reinforcement were studied. The flexural strength and modulus of acrylic bone cement-based test specimens (N=6), including crosslinked and oligomer-modified structures with or without glass fibres, were measured in dry conditions and after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) for seven days (analysis with ANOVA). One test specimen from the acrylic bone cement group containing 30 wt % crosslinking monomer of its total monomer content was examined with scanning electron microscope (SEM) to evaluate signs of the semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN). The highest dry mean flexural strength (130 MPa) was achieved with the bone cement/crosslinking monomer/glass fibre combination containing 5 wt % crosslinking monomer of its monomer content. The highest flexural modulus (11.5 GPa) was achieved with the bone cement/crosslinking monomer/glass fibre combination containing 30 wt % crosslinking monomer of its monomer content. SBF storage decreased the flexural properties of the test specimens, as did the addition of the oligomer filler. Nevertheless, the addition of crosslinking monomer and chopped glass fibres improves considerably the mechanical properties of oligomer-modified (i.e. porosity-producing filler containing) acrylic bone cement. In addition, some signs of the semi-IPN structure were observed by SEM examination.