• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.350-356
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• 2005

Poly(methyl methauylate)/montmorillonite nanocomposites were incorporated into acrylic bone cement in order to improve the mechanical properties and reduce the exotherm of acrylic bone cement. The nanocomposites were prepared using a suspension polymerization and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, trans-mission electron microscopy, gel permeation chromatography, particle size analyzer and electron dispersive spectroscopy. The acrylic bone cements with poly (methyl methacrylate)/nanocomposite s were prepared and their thermal and mechanical properties were characterized. The prepared polymeric beads were composed of polymer-intercalated nanocomposites with partially exfoliated MMT layers, and the mean diameter of them was $50\~60$ fm with the spherical shape. The maximum setting temperature of the acrylic bone cements decreased from 98 to $81\~87^{circ}C$. The mechanical strengths and moduli of the acrylic bone cement with 0.1 $wt\%$ MMT were increased. compared to that without MMT. However, the mechanical properties were generally decreased with increasing incorporated MMT amounts. It is presumably due to the bubbles in nanocomposite beads generated during polymerization.