Mechanical and Materialistic Characterization of Poly Lactic Acid/Zeolite/Hydroxyapatite Composites

The medical sector needs medical devices that are biocompatible or bioabsorbable, and Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) satisfies that need. PLA is a thermoplastic polymer that degrades naturally and has good mechanical strength. In order to create anchors, screws, plates, pins, rods, and mesh for medical implants, polylactic acid, which is harmless, can be broken down into lactic acid. The primary objective of this work is to characterize the mechanical properties and material properties of polymer composite materials reinforced with hydroxyapatite (HAp), zeolite, magnesium, and zinc particulates for biomedical implant applications. Using an injection moulding process, the composite samples were created. Mechanical qualities such as tensile, compression, flexural strength, and shore D hardness were examined in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The maximum tensile, compressive, and flexural strength were found to be 39.23 MPa, 36.80 MPa, and 68.25 MPa, respectively, for 65 wt.% PLA + 35 wt.% HAp + 5% wt.% Zeolite polymer composites were observed, and a maximum Shore D hardness of 79.8 SHN was found. Further, material characterizations were carried out for this composite material. The morphological characterization using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis was used to analyze the surface morphology and confirm the various proportions of elements in the PLA composites. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT IR) was used to confirm the different functional groups. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) analysis were used to study the thermal properties of polymer composites. The results show that the fabricated polymer composites could have better mechanical strength and be suitable for medical implant applications.