Fabrication of Fe3O4/PLLA composites for use in bone tissue engineering

The aim of this study was to incorporate nanoscale Fe 3 O 4 particles into a poly‐ l ‐lactide (PLLA) matrix to fabricate a magnetic and biodegradable composite. The physical and osteogenic functions of this material were tested. Injection molding was used to fabricate four nano‐Fe 3 O 4 /PLLA composites with Fe 3 O 4 mix ratios of 0%, 20%, 30%, and 40% (w/w). X‐ray diffraction and hysteresis loop tests were performed to evaluate the physical properties of the nano‐Fe 3 O 4 /PLLA composites. Tensile strength tests showed that the progressive addition of nano‐Fe 3 O 4 particles to the PLLA matrix results in higher elastic modulus and lower tensile strength. Images from scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that osteoblasts cultured on the 20% nano‐Fe 3 O 4 /PLLA surface exhibited abundant filaments, which are a morphologic characteristic of osteoblastic differentiation. These results suggest that the 20% nano‐Fe 3 O 4 /PLLA composite used in this study has the potential for future tissue engineering applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:2881–2888, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers