Effect of tricalcium phosphate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate on the mechanical properties of acrylic bone cement

The effects of the addition of tricalcium phosphate (TCP), hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) on the properties of standard surgical Simplex-P radiopaque bone cement have been investigated. The fracture surface after tensile test was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The influence of these components on the temperature rise during polymerization was investigated. It was found that the tensile strength, the bending strength, and the compressive strength decreased with increasing TCP content, whereas the inverse was observed for the Young's modulus. The tensile strength slightly increased with increasing HEMA content and then it levelled off when the HEMA content was higher than 15 wt.-%. It seemed that there were maximum tensile, bending and compressive strengths when 2 wt.-% EGDMA (in HEMA) was added. Polymerization occurred more rapidly when HEMA and EGDMA were added, whereas the inverse result was found with TCP.