Development and Characterization of Polylactic Acid/Chitosan Based Polymeric Bio-Nanocomposites Reinforced with Hydroxyapatite and Aluminum Oxide Bifiller for Biomedical Application

Medical devices play a significant role in the medical sector, and their needs are essential. These devices demand biocompatibility and bioabsorbable. Polymeric biocomposites developed using natural polymers are readily biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable and have the same properties as synthetic composites and other metallic composite. Polylactic acid (PLA) and Chitosan (CS) blend-based bio composites fulfill such requirements. These are bio-natural polymers that degrade naturally and have good mechanical strength. The primary aim of this work is to develop PLA/CS blend-based Hydroxyapatite (HAp) and Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) bifiller-reinforced polymeric bio-nanocomposites (BRPBNCs). The development process involved solid compression technique, which allowed for development of these BRPBNCs with desired properties. A secondary objective of this work is characterization of developed BRPBNCs to study morphological, mechanical, water absorption, and thermal properties. The morphological characteristics were evaluated using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to analyze the surface properties. These studies show a proper dispersion of bifiller material into the PLA/CS blend-base BRPBNCs. Mechanical properties such as tensile and flexural strength, compression, impact test, and shore D hardness were examined per the American Society for Testing and Materials standards. The maximum tensile, flexural, impact, and shore D hardness values are 12.36 N/mm2, 27.18 N/mm2, 0.61 J, and 76.66, respectively, for the wt% of P/30CS-20HAp/2Al2O3, P/30CS-20HAp/3Al2O3, P/30CS-20HAp/1Al2O3, and P/30CS-20HAp/3Al2O3. Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis was utilized to evaluate the thermal properties of PBNCs and check their ability to resist degradation at higher temperatures. Water barrier property is studied through water absorption analysis. The results suggest that the proposed BRPBNCs offer superior mechanical and thermal characteristics and are appropriate for medical internal fixation implant applications.