Calcium phosphate and polymer interfaces in orthopaedic cement.
In order to increase the mechanical properties and the bioactivity of surgical cement, the linkage of two monomers, namely hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and methylmethacrylate (MMA), by copolymerization to a modified apatite has been studied.  This linkage is obtained by grafting an organic molecule containing an ethylenic bond onto the apatite surface.  These two studies have shown that after polymerization more than 70% of the modified apatite is irreversibly linked to the polymers.  This linkage is due not to an adsorption but to the existence of a stable covalent bond between apatite and polymers. From these results, it should be possible to develop a new orthopaedic cement which will be more biocompatible and will have good mechanical properties.
Delpech
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Laboratoire de Physico-chimie des Solides, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, France.
Lebugle
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A
D001843:Bone Cements / Q000737:chemistry*; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000737:chemistry*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared