To improve the performance of polyether ether ketone matrix (PEEK) in hard tissue repair and replacement applications, we fabricated graphene nanoplatelet (G) reinforced PEEK with different filler weight concentrations (0.1%–5%) through injection moulding. The mechanical properties, surface morphology, chemical composition and thermal stability of the composites have been characterized. The biocompatibility has been assessed in vitro and the bone repair function of the composite implants have been assessed in vivo using a rabbit mandibular bone defect model. Mechanical testing results suggest that the composite samples have compressive moduli similar to that of the natural bone. Although addition of G into PEEK does not significantly influence the composite tensile, flexural or compressive moduli, it can significantly enhance the ductility and toughness of the material. On the other hand, all G-reinforced PEEK implants demonstrated enhanced adhesion and differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), with 5% G-PEEK showing the highest bioactivity among all samples. The in vivo osseointegration data further revealed that 5% G-PEEK has the best effect in promoting osseointegration and bone regeneration, in both early stage and late stage bone re-growth. Study shows that our G-reinforced PEEK-based implants provides a promising strategy for enhancing the performance of future regenerative bone implants.

为了提高聚醚醚酮基质 (PEEK) 在硬组织修复和置换应用中的性能，我们通过注塑成型制造了具有不同填料重量浓度 (0.1%–5%) 的石墨烯纳米片 (G) 增强的 PEEK。对复合材料的力学性能、表面形貌、化学成分和热稳定性进行了表征。体外生物相容性已经过评估，复合植入物的骨修复功能已经过体内评估使用兔下颌骨缺损模型。力学测试结果表明复合样品具有与天然骨相似的压缩模量。尽管在 PEEK 中加入 G 不会显着影响复合材料的拉伸、弯曲或压缩模量，但它可以显着提高材料的延展性和韧性。另一方面，所有 G 增强的 PEEK 植入物都显示出增强的大鼠骨髓基质细胞 (BMSC) 的粘附和分化，其中 5% 的 G-PEEK 在所有样品中显示出最高的生物活性。在体内骨整合数据进一步显示，5% G-PEEK 在促进骨整合和骨再生方面的效果最好，无论是早期还是晚期骨再生长。研究表明，我们的基于 G 增强的 PEEK 植入物为提高未来再生骨植入物的性能提供了一种有前景的策略。