Mineral-polymer composite with cation-substituted calcium phosphates

Abstract

Powders of copper, zinc, manganese-substituted tricalcium phosphates (TCP) were synthesized, the composition and structure of the obtained compounds were studied. It is shown how copper, zinc and manganese ions affect the phase composition and microstructure of powders substituted with TCP. Composite materials based on a blend of polyvinylpyrrolidone with alginate (PVP:ALG) containing copper, zinc, and manganese-substituted TCP have been obtained. The thermal stability and mechanical strength of composite films crosslinked with polyvalent metal ions have been studied. The least strong, but at the same time more thermally stable composites crosslinked with alkaline earth metal ions. The test for cytotoxicity of powders substituted TCP’ extracts and composites showed that the powders and composite materials with them are non-toxic and biocompatible. The study of the antibacterial activity of the materials against the Escherichia coli C600 strain showed that the growth of bacteria was inhibited by the samples containing copper-TCP and zinc-TCP. The composite with manganese-TCP showed no activity against Escherichia coli C600. Composites based on the PVP:ALG blend with copper, zinc-substituted TCP can be considered as materials with an antibacterial effect for use in medicine.