Influence of polymer addition on the mechanical properties of a premixed calcium phosphate cement

Premixed calcium phosphate cements can reduce handling complications that are associated with the mixing of cements in the operating room. However, to extend the clinical indication of ceramic cements their mechanical properties need to be further improved. The incorporation of a polymeric material with intrinsically high tensile properties could possibly assist in increasing the mechanical properties of calcium phosphate cement. In this study polymer microparticles made from poly(lactid-co-glycolide) plasticised with poly(ethylene glycol) 400 (PLGA/PEG microparticles) were added in amounts of up to 5 wt% to a premixed acidic calcium phosphate cement. The PLGA/PEG microparticles added undergo a shape transformation at 37 °C, which could give a better integration between polymer microparticles and ceramic cement compared with polymer microparticles lacking this property. The results showed that the incorporation of 1.25 wt% PLGA/PEG microparticles increased the compressive strength by approximately 20% up to 15.1 MPa while the diametral tensile strength was kept constant. The incorporation of PLGA/PEG microparticles increased the brushite to monetite ratio after setting compared with pure ceramic cements. In conclusion, small amounts of PLGA/PEG microparticles can be incorporated into premixed acidic calcium phosphate cement and increase their mechanical properties, which could lead to increased future applications.