Puszczykowska Natalia, Rytlewski Piotr, Mirkowska Agnieszka, Cyprys Paweł, Augustyn Piotr, Fiedurek Kacper
Faculty of Materials Engineering, Kazimierz Wielki University, Chodkiewicza 30, 85-064 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, pl. Grunwaldzki 13, 50-377 Wroclaw, Poland.
Materials (Basel). 2025 Aug 18;18(16):3860. doi: 10.3390/ma18163860.
Poly(lactic acid)/barium titanate (PLA/BT) composites exhibit piezoelectric properties desirable for bone tissue engineering, but their low biodegradability limits implant resorption. In this study, riboflavin (RF) is introduced as a dual-function additive that enhances biodegradation in PLA/BT composites. Its addition led to significantly increased microbial colonization and a five-fold higher mass loss compared to unmodified samples. These observations are consistent with the known polarity of RF and its role as a cofactor in microbial metabolism. The PLA/BT/RF composites are subjected to full characterization, including thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), dielectric permittivity measurements, and determination of piezoelectric coefficient d. Compared to PLA/BT, RF-containing composites exhibit significantly accelerated biodegradation, with mass loss reaching up to 16% after 28 days, while maintaining functional piezoelectricity (d ≈ 3.9 pC/N). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) performed after biodegradation reveals intensified microbial colonization and surface deterioration in the RF-modified samples. The data confirm that riboflavin serves as an effective modifier, enabling controlled biodegradation without compromising electromechanical performance. These results support the use of PLA-based piezoelectric composites for resorbable biomedical implants.
聚乳酸/钛酸钡（PLA/BT）复合材料展现出了骨组织工程所需的压电性能，但其低生物降解性限制了植入物的吸收。在本研究中，引入核黄素（RF）作为一种双功能添加剂，以增强PLA/BT复合材料的生物降解性。与未改性的样品相比，其添加导致微生物定殖显著增加，质量损失提高了五倍。这些观察结果与RF已知的极性及其作为微生物代谢中辅助因子的作用一致。对PLA/BT/RF复合材料进行了全面表征，包括热重分析（TG）、差示扫描量热法（DSC）、拉伸测试、动态力学分析（DMA）、介电常数测量以及压电系数d的测定。与PLA/BT相比，含RF的复合材料表现出显著加速的生物降解，28天后质量损失高达16%，同时保持功能性压电性（d≈3.9 pC/N）。生物降解后进行的扫描电子显微镜（SEM）显示，RF改性样品中的微生物定殖增强，表面恶化。数据证实核黄素是一种有效的改性剂，能够在不影响机电性能的情况下实现可控的生物降解。这些结果支持将基于PLA的压电复合材料用于可吸收生物医学植入物。
