Enhancement of mechanical and thermal properties of poly methyl methacrylate composite bone cements with zinc oxide nanostructures modified carbon fibres additives

Acrylic bone cement, which primarily consists of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), is widely used in orthopaedics, dentistry, and particularly in joint arthroplasty surgery. However, bone cements (BCs) have several limitations, including low mechanical properties, bioactivity issues, and high heat generation during polymerization. In recent years, there has been significant interest in studying the development of mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial properties of bone cement. In this study, ZnO nanostructures modified CFs were added to PMMA BCs at concentrations ranging from 0.10 wt% to 1.00 wt%, and the mechanical and thermal properties of the novel PMMA composite BCs were investigated. The novel composite materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Mechanical tests including compression and 4-point bending were performed on the composite structures, along with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results revealed that the composite cement containing 0.25 wt% ZnO/CFs reinforcement agent exhibited the best mechanical properties and thermal stability. The flexural strength of the 0.25 wt% ZnO/CFs reinforced PMMA composite BCs increased by 78.9%, while the compression strength increased by 277.4% compared to the control group.