Abstract:
The main component of medical external fixation materials is polycaprolactone (PCL), which has biocompatibility and low melting temperature, but its price is expensive (~80,000 yuan/ton), and there are problems such as insufficient strength and rigidity during use. Talc is chemically stable, non-toxic, tasteless and inexpensive (~1,000 yuan/ton). In this paper, using Triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC) as a radiation crosslinking agent, Talc/PCL shape memory crosslinking composites with good mechanical properties were prepared by extrusion molding and Co-60 irradiation crosslinking. The effects of different radiation doses on microstructure, thermal properties, mechanical properties and shape memory properties were investigated, and the crosslinked sample was degraded and applied in practice. The results show that when the irradiation dose is 15 kGy, the flexure strength of the composite material can reach 29 MPa and the flexure modulus can reach 853.3 MPa, which are 2.6 times and 4.2 times that of pure PCL respectively. The stiffness and bending resistance capacity are significantly enhanced. Meanwhile, while maintaining excellent bending performance, the composite material also exhibits good tensile properties. Its tensile strength is 38.6 MPa and the elongation at break is 999.6%. The composite material has excellent shape memory performance and cycling stability. Its shape fixation rate and recovery rate can reach 99.0% and 99.2% respectively. In addition, the composite material also has good degradability, with a degradation rate of 49.3% after 25 days of enzymatic catalytic degradation. The composite materials prepared in this study have significant comprehensive performance advantages and broad application space in the medical field.