Abstract
Biodegradable porous composites were fabricated from hydroxyapatite (HAp) and Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) microspheres for bone grafts. A novel surfactant-free emulsification method was employed for preparation of HAp/PLA microspheres ranging in diameter from 50 - 100 μm. The resulting microspheres in water were mixed with various amounts of PLA dissolved in ethanol and the mixtures were filtrated under reduced pressure to fabricate porous composites. The volume ratio of PLA solution and water in the mixture affect the mechanical properties and morphologies of porous materials. When the volume of PLA solution was equal to that of water, the resulting porous materials having two distribution of pores on the order of 10 and 100 μm.
