Support of appositional bone ingrowth and resistance to bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation are preferred properties for biomaterials used in spinal fusion surgery. Although polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a widely used interbody spacer material, it exhibits poor osteoconductive and bacteriostatic properties. In contrast, monolithic silicon nitride (Si3N4) has shown enhanced osteogenic and antimicrobial behavior. Therefore, it was hypothesized that incorporation of Si3N4 into a PEEK matrix might improve upon PEEK's inherently poor ability to bond with bone and also impart resistance to biofilm formation. A PEEK polymer was melted and compounded with three different silicon nitride powders at 15% (by volume, vol.%), including: (i) Introduction
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