Effects of γ-Ray Irradiation on the Properties of Nano-Hydroxyapatite/Polyurethane Composite Porous Scaffolds

To well understand the influence of the sterilization on the properties of biomaterials prior to application is pivotal. The effect of γ-ray irradiation on the mechanical and thermal properties of nanohydroxyapatite/polyurethane (n-HA/PU) porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering was studied in this paper. The mechanical testing, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis were employed to determine the structure and properties change of these composite scaffolds after γ-ray irradiation with different doses.The results show that thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the composite scaffolds increase after γ-ray irradiation with doses of15 kGy to 25 kGy, especially the irradiation dose of 15kGy which imposed a remarkable effect on these properties. However, a reverse trend is found when the 50kGy irradiation dose was applied.In general, it can be concluded that sterilization using γ-ray irradiation with proper dose has no adverse effect on the properties of n-HA/PU composite scaffolds.