Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is a promising biomaterial which can be used in numerous medical procedures for bone tissue repairing because of its excellent osteoconductivity. An injectable preparation and relatively short consolidation time are particularly useful characteristics of CPC. However, the low strength of CPC and its brittleness restrict its use. One method for toughening brittle CPC is to incorporate fibrous materials into its matrix to create a composite structure. Fibers are widely used to reinforce matrix materials in a variety of areas. We hypothesized that there must be an optimal fiber length and structure which can balance these conflicting aspects of fiber reinforcement. The purpose of this study is to prove our conjectures that adding a small amount of short fibers significantly improves the hardness and the toughness of CPC while maintaining its injectability with a syringe and that fiber morphologies that have crimps and surface roughness are favorable for reinforcing.Background
Objective
