Fabrication of calcium sulfate/PLLA composite for bone repair

The bone‐repairing composite material CS/PLLA was fabricated by mixing poly‐L‐lactic acid (PLLA) and calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH). The structure of the composite was analyzed with Infrared spectroscope, X‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope. The results indicated that the crystal pattern of calcium sulfate was affected by the addition of PLLA. PLLA part impacted the development of calcium sulfate dihydrate (CSD) crystal by slowing the conversion from CSH to CSD, so the composites are actually composed of CSH, CSD, and PLLA. The absorbing test in vitro showed that CS/PLLA composite absorbed more slowly than pure CS, suggesting the addition of PLLA can adjust the absorption rate of CS to meet different requirements. The pH value changes of the media had similar trends for different composites during the absorbing test of CS/PLLA samples in aqueous medium, which was connected to the absorption of calcium sulfate. The absorption of calcium sulfate in a certain time left a porous PLLA scaffold that will enable cells to further grow in. The surface of CS/PLLA pellets was inoculated with human osteoblasts, and the primary results showed that the osteoblasts could attach and spread on the surface, which will stimulate our desire for further study. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 73A: 244–253, 2005