Barium titanate-filled bone cements. I. Chemical, physical, and mechanical characterization

Bone cements filled with BaTiO 3 particles were prepared and characterized. The powders of the cements consisted of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) beads, benzoyl peroxide (BP), and BaTiO 3 (BT) powder (<145 µm). The liquid composition was methyl methacrylate (MMA), N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP), and N,N-dimethyl-2-aminobencyl alcohol (DMOH). The observed dough and setting times were strongly influenced by the BT and VP contents. However, neither the filler nor the VP contents significantly affected the maximum temperature during setting. VP provided the cements with certain hydrophilic character and solubility. At the early stage, the process of water uptake obeyed the Fick Second Law but at the end a deviation was observed as consequence of the partial dissolution of the absorbing matrix. BT particles effectively increased the compressive strength of the cements.