Findrik Balogová Alena, Trebuňová Marianna, Ižaríková Gabriela, Kaščák Ľuboš, Mitrík Lukáš, Klímová Jana, Feranc Jozef, Modrák Marcel, Hudák Radovan, Živčák Jozef
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Measurement, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Košice, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia.
Department of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Košice, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia.
Polymers (Basel). 2021 May 11;13(10):1542. doi: 10.3390/polym13101542.
Biopolymers have been the most frequently studied class of materials due to their biodegradability, renewability, and sustainability. The main aim of the presented study was to evaluate degradability of the polymer material blend which was immersed in different solutions. The present study included the production of three different mixtures of polylactic acid and polyhydroxybutyrate, each with a different content of triacetin, which was used as a plasticiser. Applying 3D printing technology, two types of cylindrical specimen were produced, i.e., a solid and a porous specimen, and subjected to in vitro natural degradation. The biodegradation process ran for 195 days in three different solutions (saline, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and Hank's solution) in stable conditions of 37 °C and a pH of 7.4, while the specimens were kept in an orbital motion to simulate the flow of fluids. The goal was to identify the effects of a solution type, specimen shape and material composition on the biodegradation of the materials. The monitored parameters included changes in the solution quantity absorbed by the specimens; morphological changes in the specimen structure; and mechanical properties. They were measured by compressive testing using the Inspekt5 Table Blue testing device. The experiment revealed that specimen porosity affected the absorption of the solutions. The non-triacetin materials exhibited a higher mechanical resistance to compression than the materials containing a plasticiser. The final result of the experiment indicated that the plasticiser-free specimens exhibited higher values of solution absorption, no formation of block cracks or bubbles, and the pH values of the solutions in which these materials were immersed remained neutral for the entire experiment duration; furthermore, these materials did not reduce pH values down to the alkaline range, as was the case with the solutions with the plasticiser-containing materials. Generally, in applications where high mechanical resistance, earlier degradation, and more stable conditions are required, the use of non-plasticiser materials is recommended.
由于生物聚合物具有生物可降解性、可再生性和可持续性，它们一直是研究最为频繁的材料类别。本研究的主要目的是评估浸入不同溶液中的聚合物材料共混物的降解性。本研究包括制备三种不同的聚乳酸和聚羟基丁酸酯混合物，每种混合物中三醋精（用作增塑剂）的含量不同。应用3D打印技术，制作了两种类型的圆柱形试样，即实心试样和多孔试样，并进行体外自然降解。生物降解过程在37°C和pH值为7.4的稳定条件下，于三种不同溶液（生理盐水、磷酸盐缓冲盐水（PBS）和汉克氏溶液）中进行了195天，同时使试样保持轨道运动以模拟流体流动。目的是确定溶液类型、试样形状和材料组成对材料生物降解的影响。监测参数包括试样吸收的溶液量的变化；试样结构的形态变化；以及机械性能。使用Inspekt5 Table Blue测试设备通过压缩测试对其进行测量。实验表明，试样的孔隙率影响溶液的吸收。不含三醋精的材料比含增塑剂的材料表现出更高的抗压机械阻力。实验的最终结果表明，不含增塑剂的试样表现出更高的溶液吸收值，没有形成块状裂纹或气泡，并且在整个实验期间，浸入这些材料的溶液的pH值保持中性；此外，这些材料不会像含增塑剂材料的溶液那样将pH值降低到碱性范围。一般来说，在需要高机械阻力、更早降解和更稳定条件的应用中，建议使用不含增塑剂的材料。
