title: Graphene-Alumina Nanocomposites with Improved Mechanical Properties for Biomedical Applications.
abstract: This paper presents a study on graphene platelet (GPL)-reinforced alumina (Al2O3) ceramic composites and the relationships between the loading of GPL and both mechanical properties and in vitro biocompatibility. Al2O3 powders with different GPL contents were prepared and sintered using a gas protected pressure-less furnace. The examination of the results shows the density of the composites varying from 99.2% to 95.6% with the loading of GPL from 0.75 to 1.48 vol %. Raman studies show that moderate agglomerations of GPLs occur during the ball milling process and graphitic defects were produced during the high temperature processing. Mechanical properties of the Al2O3 matrix are significantly improved by adding GPLs. A maximum increase of approximately 60% in flexural strength and 70% in fracture toughness are achieved by introducing 0.75 vol % GPLs. In the biocompatibility tests, it was found that cells directly seeding on top of GPL/Al2O3 samples showed better initial attachment (3 h after seeding) and viability (3 days after incubation) than the monolithic Al2O3, indicating that the GPL/Al2O3 composites have comparable or more favorable biocompatibility. The excellent mechanical and biomedical properties of the GPL/Al2O3 composites may enable them to be applied to a wide range of engineering and biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: School of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, Sichuan University , Chengdu 610065, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Micro/Nanotechnology Research Centre, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham , Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Kingston University , London KT1 2EE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Hany
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hassanin
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham , Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Neeraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jumbu
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Micro/Nanotechnology Research Centre, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham , Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sunan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: School of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, Sichuan University , Chengdu 610065, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Engineering and Micro/Nanotechnology Research Centre, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham , Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom.|School of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology , Wanbailin District, Taiyuan 030024, China.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000379:methods*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011208:Powders; D011312:Pressure; D051381:Rats; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011208:Powders; D006108:Graphite; D000537:Aluminum Oxide
keywords: ceramic matrix composites; graphene platelets; in vitro biocompatibility; mechanical properties; pressure-less sintering