Novel bulk carbon nanotube materials for implant by spark plasma sintering.

Novel, bulk multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) sintered with polycarbosilane (PCS) as a binder agent were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS), and their microstructure and properties were investigated. Sintering was done with 20-60 MPa pressure at 1200 degrees C. SEM and TEM observations showed that the nanosized tube microstructure was preserved even after sintering, and tubes adhered to each other with the nanosized nodules of SiC pyrolyzed form PCS as revealed by X-ray diffraction. Bulk density and Vickers hardness were found to increase, whereas the specific surface area decreased, as PCS content and sintering pressure increased. Through animal experiments, the inflammatory reaction of CNTs/PCS material was found to be slightly increased with increasing PCS content. In conclusion, sintered CNTs had physical and mechanical properties close to bone, and their good biocompatibility based on tissue response served to pave their way as a suitable implant material in the future.