Modification of acrylic bone cements by poly(ethylene glycol) with different molecular weight

The high polymerization temperature of acrylic bone cements can cause arthroplasty failure because of the thermal necrosis of surrounding bone tissue. To reduce this undesired effect we have developed novel acrylic bone cement composites containing a phase change material (PCM). As PCM poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) of different molecular weight was applied and the effect of its incorporation on curing parameters, mechanical and morphological properties of acrylic bone cement was investigated. A significant decrease in maximum temperature from 65.8°C to 47.4°C and slight increase of setting time were observed. PEG introduction also contributed to the thermal stability of acrylic bone cement increase. SEM investigation of modified bone cement confirmed that the microstructure does not alter considerably because of PEG content. It was found that both PEG addition and incubation test contribute to an inconsiderable decrease in mechanical strength of bone cement. However, the mechanical strength increase can be caused by the fresh bone tissue incorporation into the pores appearing in bone cement. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.