Fabrication and characterazation of functionalized zirconia microparticles and zirconia-containing bone cement

ZrO₂ particles with an average diameter approximately 2 μm was prepared by hydrothermal reaction and functionalized in organic solvents using a di-functional surface modification agent, 3-methacrylopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS). Surface-functionalized ZrO₂ particles were investigated by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, fabrication of poly (methyl methacrylate), PMMA, bone cement was conducted with MPS-functionalized ZrO₂ particles as an inorganic filler. ZrO₂ particles with surface vinyl groups exhibited good dispersion in the fabricated bone cement, leading to an improved bending strength of the bone cement products. The MPS-functionalized ZrO₂ particles, as a kind of filler, may be a potential candidate for the PMMA bone cement.