Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy study of an organic–mineral composite for bone and dental substitute materials

A new injectable biomaterial for bone and dental surgery is a composite consisting of a polymer as a matrix and bioactive calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics as fillers. The stability of the polymer is essential in the production of a ready-to-use injectable sterilized biomaterial. The purpose of this study was to detect possible polymer degradation which may have been caused by the interaction with the fillers using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Composites containing CaP fillers (biphasic calcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite and peroxidized hydroxyapatite) and polymer (hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose) were prepared. To investigate the properties of the polymer, the inorganic and organic phases of the composite were separated using several extraction methods. The difficulty in separating the organic (polymer) from the mineral (CaP fillers) phases in the composite investigated in this study suggested the presence of strong interactions between the two phases. Spectra of extracted polymers showed new absorption bands of low intensities and indications that some chemical modifications of the original polymers have occurred. Results also indicated that the filler composition has an effect on the integrity of the polymer.