Carbon Nanotubes in Acrylic Bone Cement - Biologically Responsive Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering - page 193

materials with a high degree of fibre-matrix interaction have been shown to
increase the fracture resistance of many polymer matrices: for example,
CF-reinforced bone cement exhibits reduced fatigue crack propagation rates due to
mechanisms such as crack bridging, telescopic failure and fibre pullout due to
interface failure. Furthermore, it has been reported that fibre-reinforcement of
PMMA bone cement leads to increased viscosity and reduced polymerisation tem-
peratures. Reducing the temperature generated during polymerisation could reduce
the thermal cellular necrosis experienced in vivo, reducing the probability of asep-
tic loosening. Furthermore, a reduction in the exotherm of bone cement will reduce
residual stresses within the cement mantle as a consequence of excessive shrink-
age. Superior mechanical performance has been shown through the inclusion of
MWCNTs due to their high aspect ratios and enhanced mechanical properties
( cf. carbon fi bres) [ 67 ]. Furthermore, the use of chemically functionalised MWCNT
has also been shown to potentially increase nanotube dispersion and improve the
interface between the host PMMA matrix and the nanotubes [ 68 ]. The use of CNT
in cemented TJRs may also offer additional biological benefits such as biosensing,
controlled drug release and stimulation of bone regrowth. CNTs, due to the pres-
ence of van der Waals forces, exhibit a tendency to aggregate into large bundles
that could be potentially detrimental to service life of the bone cement. Enhanced
fatigue performance has previously been cited for PMMA bone cement with a high
degree of MWCNT dispersion; however the mixing techniques utilised were not
clinically applicable, highlighting the potential value of developing a clinically
transferable CNT-reinforced PMMA bone cement.
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