| 1. |
- Joffre, Thomas, 1987-, et al.
(author)
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Characterization of interfacial stress transfer ability in acetylation-treated wood fibre composites using X-ray microtomography
- 2017
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In: Industrial crops and products (Print). - : Elsevier BV. - 0926-6690 .- 1872-633X. ; 95, s. 43-49
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The properties of the fibre/matrix interface contribute to stiffness, strength and fracture behaviour of fibre-reinforced composites. In cellulosic composites, the limited affinity between the hydrophilic fibres and the hydrophobic thermoplastic matrix remains a challenge, and the reinforcing capability of the fibres is hence not fully utilized. A direct characterisation of the stress transfer ability through pull-out tests on single fibres is extremely cumbersome due to the small dimension of the wood fibres. Here a novel approach is proposed: the length distribution of the fibres sticking out of the matrix at the fracture surface is approximated using X-ray microtomography and is used as an estimate of the adhesion between the fibres and the matrix. When a crack grows in the material, the fibres will either break or be pulled-out of the matrix depending on their adhesion to the matrix: good adhesion between the fibres and the matrix should result in more fibre breakage and less pull-out of the fibres than poor adhesion. The effect of acetylation on the adhesion between the wood fibres and the PLA matrix was evaluated at different moisture contents using the proposed method. By using an acetylation treatment of the fibres it was possible to improve the strength of the composite samples soaked in the water by more than 30%.
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| 2. |
- Wu, Dan, 1990-, et al.
(author)
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Young’s modulus of trabecular bone at the tissue level : A review
- 2018
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In: Acta Biomaterialia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1742-7061 .- 1878-7568. ; 78, s. 1-12
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The tissue-level Young’s modulus of trabecular bone is important for detailed mechanical analysis of bone and bone-implant mechanical interactions. However, the heterogeneity and small size of the trabecular struts complicate an accurate determination. Methods such as micro-mechanical testing of single trabeculae, ultrasonic testing, and nanoindentation have been used to estimate the trabecular Young’s modulus. This review summarizes and classifies the trabecular Young’s moduli reported in the literature. Information on species, anatomic site, and test condition of the samples has also been gathered. Advantages and disadvantages of the different methods together with recent developments are discussed, followed by some suggestions for potential improvement, for future work. In summary, this review provides a thorough introduction to the approaches used for determining trabecular Young’s modulus, highlights important considerations when applying these methods and summarizes the reported Young’s modulus for follow-up studies on trabecular properties.
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| 3. |
- Ajaxon, Ingrid, et al.
(author)
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Long-term in vitro degradation of a high-strength brushite cement in water, PBS, and serum solution
- 2015
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In: BioMed Research International. - : Hindawi Publishing Corporation. - 2314-6133 .- 2314-6141.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bone loss and fractures may call for the use of bone substituting materials, such as calcium phosphate cements (CPCs). CPCs can be degradable, and, to determine their limitations in terms of applications, their mechanical as well as chemical properties need to be evaluated over longer periods of time, under physiological conditions. However, there is lack of data on how the in vitro degradation affects high-strength brushite CPCs over longer periods of time, that is, longer than it takes for a bone fracture to heal. This study aimed at evaluating the long-term in vitro degradation properties of a high-strength brushite CPC in three different solutions: water, phosphate buffered saline, and a serum solution. Microcomputed tomography was used to evaluate the degradation nondestructively, complemented with gravimetric analysis. The compressive strength, chemical composition, and microstructure were also evaluated. Major changes from 10 weeks onwards were seen, in terms of formation of a porous outer layer of octacalcium phosphate on the specimens with a concomitant change in phase composition, increased porosity, decrease in object volume, and mechanical properties. This study illustrates the importance of long-term evaluation of similar cement compositions to be able to predict the material’s physical changes over a relevant time frame.
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| 4. |
- Ghandour, Salim, et al.
(author)
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Optimization of titanium spinal cages to maximize synthetic graft content in composite implants
- 2022
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spinal fusion is the gold standard for treating patients with degenerative disc disease. Titanium alloys and PEEK are the two most common materials used to manufacture cages for spinal fusion, used to maintain disc height while the vertebrae fuse. Other materials, such as morselised bone, may be added to the cage to enhance the bioactivity. A monetite-based calcium phosphate has (as a composite implant in combination with titanium) shown potentially osteoinductive properties and may be a synthetic alternative to bone graft. Maximizing the ratio of calcium phosphate to titanium could be desirable to maximize bone ingrowth and fusion. Further, the calcium phosphate can be incorporated into the cage and stored ahead of surgery. The aim of this study was to topologically optimize cervical spine implants to incorporate a bioactive but mechanically weak material such as calcium phosphate.
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| 5. |
- Katsaros, Ioannis, et al.
(author)
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Bioactive Silicon Nitride Implant Surfaces with Maintained Antibacterial Properties
- 2022
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In: Journal of Functional Biomaterials. - : MDPI. - 2079-4983. ; 13:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Silicon nitride (Si3N4) is a promising biomaterial, currently used in spinal fusion implants. Such implants should result in high vertebral union rates without major complications. However, pseudarthrosis remains an important complication that could lead to a need for implant replacement. Making silicon nitride implants more bioactive could lead to higher fusion rates, and reduce the incidence of pseudarthrosis. In this study, it was hypothesized that creating a highly negatively charged Si3N4 surface would enhance its bioactivity without affecting the antibacterial nature of the material. To this end, samples were thermally, chemically, and thermochemically treated. Apatite formation was examined for a 21-day immersion period as an in-vitro estimate of bioactivity. Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were inoculated on the surface of the samples, and their viability was investigated. It was found that the thermochemically and chemically treated samples exhibited enhanced bioactivity, as demonstrated by the increased spontaneous formation of apatite on their surface. All modified samples showed a reduction in the bacterial population; however, no statistically significant differences were noticed between groups. This study successfully demonstrated a simple method to improve the in vitro bioactivity of Si3N4 implants while maintaining the bacteriostatic properties.
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| 6. |
- Skjöldebrand, Charlotte, et al.
(author)
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Si-Fe-C-N Coatings for Biomedical Applications : A Combinatorial Approach
- 2020
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In: Materials. - : MDPI. - 1996-1944 .- 1996-1944. ; 13:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ceramic coatings may prolong the lifetime of joint implants. Certain ions and wear debris may however lead to negative biological effects. SiN-based materials may substantially reduce these effects, but still need optimization for the application. In this study, a combinatorial deposition method enabled an efficient evaluation of a range of Si-Fe-C-N coating compositions on the same sample. The results revealed compositional gradients of Si (26.0-33.9 at.%), Fe (9.6-20.9 at.%), C (8.2-13.9 at.%) and N (39.7-47.2 at.%), and low oxygen contaminations (0.3-0.6 at.%). The mechanical properties varied with a hardness (H) ranging between 13.7-17.3 GPa and an indentation modulus (M) between 190-212 GPa. Both H and M correlated with the Si (H and M increased as Si increased) and Fe (H and M decreased as Fe increased) content. A slightly columnar morphology was observed in cross-sections, as well as a surface roughness in the nm range. A cell study revealed adhering pre-osteogenic MC3T3 cells, with a morphology similar to that of cells seeded on a tissue culture plastic control. The investigated coatings could be considered for further investigation due to the ability to tune their mechanical properties while maintaining a smooth surface, together with their promising in vitro cell response.
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| 7. |
- Pujari-Palmer, Michael, et al.
(author)
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Influence of cement compressive strength and porosity on augmentation performance in a model of orthopedic screw pull-out
- 2018
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In: Journal of The Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials. - : Elsevier. - 1751-6161 .- 1878-0180. ; 77, s. 624-633
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Disease and injuries that affect the skeletal system may require surgical intervention and internal fixation, i.e. orthopedic plate and screw insertion, to stabilize the injury and facilitate tissue repair. If the surrounding bone quality is poor the screws may migrate, or the bone may fail, resulting in screw pull-out. Though numerous studies have shown that cement augmentation of the interface between bone and implant can increase screw holding strength in bone, the physical properties of cement that influence pull-out force have not been investigated. The present study sought to determine how the physical properties of calcium phosphate cements (CPCs), and the strength of the biological or synthetic material surrounding the augmented screw, affected the corresponding orthopedic screw pull-out force in urethane foam models of healthy and osteoporotic bone (Sawbones). In the simplest model, where only the bond strength between screw thread and cement (without Sawbone) was tested, the correlation between pull-out force and cement compressive strength (R2 = 0.79) was weaker than correlation with total cement porosity (R2 = 0.89). In open pore Sawbone that mimics “healthy” cancellous bone density the stronger cements produced higher pull-out force (50-60% increase). Higher strength, lower porosity, cements also produced higher pull-out forces (50-190% increase) in Sawbones with cortical fixation if the failure strength of the cortical material was similar to (bovine tibial bone), or greater than (metal shell), actual cortical bone. This result is of particular clinical relevance where fixation with a metal plate implant is indicated, as the nearby metal can simulate a thicker cortical shell and, thereby, increase the pull-out force of screws augmented with stronger cements. The improvement in pull-out force was apparent even at low augmentation volumes of 0.5 ml (50% increase), which suggest that in clinical situations where augmentation volume is limited the stronger, lower porosity CPCs may still produce a significant improvement in screw holding strength. When correlations of all the tested models were compared both cement porosity and compressive strength accurately predicted pull-out force (R2=1.00, R2=0.808), though prediction accuracy depended upon the strength of the material surrounding the Sawbone. The correlations strength was low for bone with no, or weak, cortical fixation. Higher strength and lower porosity CPCs also produced greater pull-out force (1-1.5 kN) than commercial CPC (0.2-0.5kN), but lower pull-out force than PMMA (2-3 kN). The results of this study suggest that the likelihood of screw fixation failure may be reduced by selecting calcium phosphate cements with lower porosity and higher bulk strength, in patients with healthy bone mineral density and/or sufficient cortical thickness. This is of particular clinical relevance when fixation with metal plates is indicated, or where the augmentation volume is limited.
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| 8. |
- Ajaxon, Ingrid, 1983-
(author)
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Can Bone Void Fillers Carry Load? : Behaviour of Calcium Phosphate Cements Under Different Loading Scenarios
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are used as bone void fillers and as complements to hardware in fracture fixation. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the possibilities and limitations of the CPCs’ mechanical properties, and find out if these ceramic bone cements can carry application-specific loads, alone or as part of a construct. Recently developed experimental brushite and apatite cements were found to have a significantly higher strength in compression, tension and flexion compared to the commercially available CPCs chronOS™ Inject and Norian® SRS®. By using a high-resolution measurement technique the elastic moduli of the CPCs were determined and found to be at least twice as high compared to earlier measurements, and closer to cortical bone than trabecular bone. Using the same method, Poisson's ratio for pure CPCs was determined for the first time. A non-destructive porosity measurement method for wet brushite cements was developed, and subsequently used to study the porosity increase during in vitro degradation. The compressive strength of the experimental brushite cement was still higher than that of trabecular bone after 25 weeks of degradation, showing that the cement can carry high loads over a time span sufficiently long for a fracture to heal. This thesis also presents the first ever fatigue results for acidic CPCs, and confirms the importance of testing the materials under cyclic loading as the cements may fail at stress levels much lower than the material’s quasi-static compressive strength. A decrease in fatigue life was found for brushite cements containing higher amounts of monetite. Increasing porosity and testing in a physiological buffer solution (PBS), rather than air, also decreased the fatigue life. However, the experimental brushite cement had a high probability of surviving loads found in the spine when tested in PBS, which has previously never been accomplished for acidic CPCs. In conclusion, available brushite cements may be able to carry the load alone in scenarios where the cortical shell is intact, the loading is mainly compressive, and the expected maximum stress is below 10 MPa. Under such circumstances this CPC may be the preferred choice over less biocompatible and non-degradable materials.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Ajaxon, Ingrid, et al.
(author)
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Compressive fatigue properties of an acidic calcium phosphate cement—effect of phase composition
- 2017
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In: Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0957-4530 .- 1573-4838. ; 28:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are synthetic bone grafting materials that can be used in fracture stabilization and to fill bone voids after, e.g., bone tumour excision. Currently there are several calcium phosphate-based formulations available, but their use is partly limited by a lack of knowledge of their mechanical properties, in particular their resistance to mechanical loading over longer periods of time. Furthermore, depending on, e.g., setting conditions, the end product of acidic CPCs may be mainly brushite or monetite, which have been found to behave differently under quasi-static loading. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the compressive fatigue properties of acidic CPCs, as well as the effect of phase composition on these properties. Hence, brushite cements stored for different lengths of time and with different amounts of monetite were investigated under quasi-static and dynamic compression. Both storage and brushite-to-monetite phase transformation was found to have a pronounced effect both on quasi-static compressive strength and fatigue performance of the cements, whereby a substantial phase transformation gave rise to a lower mechanical resistance. The brushite cements investigated in this study had the potential to survive 5 million cycles at a maximum compressive stress of 13 MPa. Given the limited amount of published data on fatigue properties of CPCs, this study provides an important insight into the compressive fatigue behaviour of such materials.
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