Polydimethylsiloxane/Calcium Phosphates Composites: Effect of the Fillers Modification on the Cross-Linking and Surface Energy

A potential approach to achieving the objective of favorably modulating the biological response of implantable biopolymers combined with good mechanical properties is to consider compounding the biopolymer with a bioactive nanocrystalline ceramic biomimetic material with high surface area. In this work, n-HAp (nano-hydroxyapatite) and n-alpha-TCP (nano-alpha-tricalcium phosphate) powders were modified by silane coupling agent and mixed with poly(dimethyl siloxane) gum so nano-composites could be achieved. The influence of the introduction of modified and unmodified calcium phosphate particles on the composite thermodynamics parameters of cross-linking, static contact angle and surface energy were investigated. It was found that the dispersion state of modified particles in the silicone matrix was homogeneous. The introduction of fillers into the silicone matrix changed the enthalpy of cross-linking. The addition of unmodified particles led to higher surface energy values, on the other hand, modified particles led to lower surface energy values.