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Backscattered Electron Imaging To Enhance Microstructural Contrast In Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Bone Cement Fracture Analysis, L. D. T. Topoleski, P. Rutledge, X. Lu
Backscattered Electron Imaging To Enhance Microstructural Contrast In Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Bone Cement Fracture Analysis, L. D. T. Topoleski, P. Rutledge, X. Lu
Cells and Materials
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is used as a grout to secure joint replacement prostheses into bone. It has a distinct microstructure made up of: prepolymerized beads, an interbead matrix polymer, a radiopacifier {barium sulphate (BaS04) or zirconium dioxide (Zr02)}, and pores or voids; the radiopacifier is found only in the interbead matrix of the cured bone cement. The mechanism of slow or fatigue crack growth appears to be initial micro-cracking through the interbead matrix, followed by coalescence of the microcracks to form a continuous crack. Thus, distinguishing the interbead matrix from the pre-polymerized beads is important for investigating fatigue …