Bioabsorbable chitosan rod reinforced by chitosan fiber

The chitosan rods were prepared by in-situ precipitation,  and then chitosan fibers were filled into the matrix to reinforce the chitosan composite rod. The mechanical properties of this composite rod were investigated,  and the morphology of the fracture surfaces was observed by means of SEM. The results indicate that chitosan fiber can improve the mechanical properties of the chitosan composite rod obviously. It is shown that the flexural strength of the composite is improved firstly and then decreases with increasing the mass fraction of chitosan fiber. Compared with the chitosan rod without chitosam fiber, the flexural strength of the composite  increases with increasing the length of chitosan fiber. The flexural strength of the composite  increases by 55.7% when 5% mass fraction of chitosan fiber with the length 17 mm was filled. This kind of chitosan fiber/chitosan composite will be widely used in the field of internal fixation in surgery.