Effectiveness of silane treatment on absorbable microfibers

✍ Scribed by Kirk P. Andriano; A. U. Daniels; Jorge Heller

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 468 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1045-4861
• DOI: 10.1002/jab.770030305

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Preliminary experiments suggest pretreatment of absorbable crystalline, calcium‐sodium‐metaphosphate (CSM) microfibers with trimethoxy‐based silane coupling agents yields a polysiloxane film barrier which protects the fiber surface from early dissolution due to water. Compared to thermoplastic poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) composites reinforced with untreated fibers, PLLA composites reinforced with a variety of silane pretreated microfibers showed increased mechanical properties, suggesting improved adhesion was achieved at the fiber/matrix interface. Unfortunately, the silane pretreated CSM/PLLA composite showed no increase in wet strength retention after short‐term in vitro exposure. This may be due to plasticization from water entering the composite at areas of incomplete fiber wetting by the highly viscous molten PLLA. However, when a nonabsorbable, low viscosity unsaturated polyester thermoset resin was reinforced with methacryloxy‐silane pretreated CSM microfibers, there was no decrease in flexural strength and less than a 10% decrease in flexural modulus after 7 days exposure to 7.4 pH Tris‐buffered saline at 37°C.