Modification of PLA with nano-iron particles for biomedical applications

The current problem of biopolymer composites in biomaterial engineering is their long degradation over time under environmental interactions and their potential application in biomedical engineering. The present research work aims to study the properties of a PLA composite with addition of iron and nano-iron powders with a particle size of 45 μm and 80 nm, respectively, in an isotonic solution in the Ringer fluid. The paper describes the general properties of polylactide composites and the mechanisms of degradation after modification with different additives, among them iron powders and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based blends, where the PLA-nanoFe-PEG liquid blend has the best mechanical properties. The areas of biomedical applications of the PLA-based composite were also presented. In the research part of the PLA composite fabricated by the extrusion method, hardness, tensile strength and degradation in Ringer’s solution of the obtained composites were studied and discussed.