Evaluation of tensile, thermal, and biological properties of natural rubber-based biocomposite with biosilicate and 45S5-K bioglass

The objective of this work was to develop new NR-based biocomposite containing BioS and/or BL0 particles, which exhibit better tensile response, biocompatibility, and bioactivity for biomedical applications. Morphological, tensile, thermal, and biological tests were performed on the biocomposites to evaluate the influence of BioS and BL0 particles on the properties of the NR matrix. According to TG/DTG tests, the decomposition profiles of the NR/BioS and NR/BL0 biocomposites were similar to those of NR, whose main event could be seen in the 290–450°C temperature range, indicative of NR's structural degradation. Tensile analysis demonstrated that the addition of BioS or BL0 to the NR-based biocomposite improved the elastic modulus and the tensile strength at break (σat break) in comparison to NR. The σat break value of the NR matrix increased from 0.99 ± 0.06 MPa to 1.84 ± 0.09 and 2.29 ± 0.04 MPa for the NR/BioS and NR/BL0 specimens with 30 wt%. Indirect cytotoxicity testing revealed that NR, NR/BL0, and NR/BioS biocomposite specimens promote the attachment of MSCs cell, that is, greater than 70% viability as defined in ISO 10993-5:2009. The results indicate that BioS and BL0 particles have improved the tensile response and biological properties of the NR matrix, resulting in a range of potential biomedical applications.