Effects of hydrolysis on dodecyl alcohol modified β-CaSiO3 particles and PDLLA/modified β-CaSiO3 composite films

In this research, β-CaSiO3 particles were surface modified with dodecyl alcohol, and Poly-(DL-lactic acid) (PDLLA)/modified β-CaSiO3 composite films were fabricated with a homogenous dispersion of β-CaSiO3 particles in the PDLLA matrix. The aim of the study was to investigate the properties of the composite films before and after hydrolytic treatment. SEM images showed retained homogenous dispersion of β-CaSiO3 particles after hydrolysis and tensile test also showed maintained mechanical property. Simulated body fluid (SBF) incubation experiment suggested that hydrolytic treatment did not affect the formation of hydroxyapatite on the surface of the composite films. The hydrophilicity of the composites was greatly recovered (from 69.82° to 50.28°) after hydrolysis. In addition, cells cultured on composite films after hydrolysis presented the highest cell proliferation rate and differentiation level. All of these results suggested that the surface modification of silicate particles with dodecyl alcohol along with reversible hydrolytic treatment was an effective and feasible approach to fabricate polymer/silicate composite materials with improved properties.