Synthesis and characterization of novel TiO₂-poly(propylene fumarate) nanocomposites for bone cementation

This work reports on a new methodology for synthesizing poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF)/titania nanowire composites which would be beneficial in tissue engineering for orthopaedic bone cements. The synthetic procedure reacted PPF with maleic anhydride to create HOOC-PPF-COOH species in a ring-opening reaction at room temperature. These species were then coordinated to titania nanowires by metal carboxylate bonding through the end -COOH groups. These PPF-grafted nano-TiO₂ assemblies were then further polymerized and crosslinked in the presence of N-vinylpyrrolidone to produce the bone cements. The synthesis and modification of PPF was confirmed by NMR (¹H and ¹³C) and XPS, while the reaction chemistry of the functionalized PPF and nano-TiO₂ was also investigated by XPS and FTIR. Mechanical testing of the resulting composites demonstrated a significant reinforcement of the tensile and flexural properties, showing the utility of this synthetic approach for bone tissue engineering.