US20130171443A1 - Porous material and method for fabricating same - Google Patents

Abstract

A composite structure comprising a first porous portion comprising a plurality of interconnected pores and a second solid portion having a first surface, said first surface secured to said first portion wherein said first and second portions are fabricated from a polymer material. The material may be suitable for implant, illustratively vertebral or spinal implants, comprising a rigid biocompatible polymer such as PEEK comprising a plurality of interconnected pores. The polymer illustratively has a porosity of between 50% and 85% by volume and in a particular embodiment is able to withstand pressures of up to 20 MPa. The porous PEEK material may also have a minimum thickness in any dimension of one (1) inch.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/092,487 filed on Nov. 17, 2008, now allowed and to issue as U.S. Pat. No. 8,383,024 on Feb. 26, 2013, which is a §371 of PCT Application No. PCT/CA2006/001808, filed on Nov. 6, 2006 and published in English under PCT Article 21(2) (WO 2007/051307 A2, issued May 10, 2007), which itself claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/733,206, filed on Nov. 4, 2005. All documents above are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to a porous material and method for fabricating same. In particular, the present invention relates to a porous poly aryl ether ketone such as PEEK fabricated by mixing a dissolvable material with PEEK in a molten form and subsequently removing the dissolvable material. The resultant porous PEEK material is well suited for medical implant devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• A variety of methods exist in the art for forming porous micro-plastic materials. In particular, the prior art discloses producing a porous product by mixing a salt-type pore-forming agent such as sodium chloride to a resin to form a moulding material, subjecting the moulding material to a moulding process to produce a moulded part and subsequently washing the product to elute or leach the salt-type pore forming agent, thereby forming pores. In a particular variant the resin has a lower melting temperature than the salt-type pore-forming agent and the moulding process involves heating the moulding material to a temperature between that of the melting point of the resin and the salt-type pore-forming agent, moulding the product and subsequently cooling the moulded product until it solidifies.
• One drawback of such prior art methods is that when forming highly porous materials, a large amount of pore forming agent is required which, given that the pore-forming agent remains in a particulate form, adversely affects the fluidity of the moulding material when using conventional moulding methods. As a result, such desalting methods have proven unsuitable for forming porous materials having 50% or more by volume of pores. The present description refers to a number of documents, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• In order to overcome the above and other drawbacks, there is disclosed a method for fabricating a porous structure from a first material. The method comprises the acts of mixing the first material with a second material to form a mixture, the first material having a melting point which is lower than the second material, heating the mixture under pressure to a temperature between a melting point of the first material and a melting point of the second material, cooling the molten mixture until it hardens and removing the second material from the first material.
• There is also disclosed a method for fabricating a porous structure. The method comprises the acts of mixing a fluid material with a solid particulate to form a mixture, hardening the mixture and removing the solid particulate from the hardened mixture.
• Additionally, there is disclosed a material suitable for implant comprising a rigid biocompatible polymer comprising a plurality of interconnected pores wherein the polymer has a porosity of between 50% and 85% by volume.
• There is also disclosed a composite material comprising a first porous portion comprising a plurality of interconnected pores, a second solid portion having a first surface, the first surface secured to the first portion. The first and second portions are fabricated from the same material.
• Furthermore, there is disclosed a material suitable for vertebral implants, comprising a porous biocompatible polymer comprising a plurality of interconnected pores where the polymer can withstand a pressure of up to at least 20 MPa.
• Also, there is disclosed a material suitable for implant formed from a porous PEEK polymer comprising a plurality of interconnected pores and having a minimum thickness in any direction of about one (1) inch.
• Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• In the appended drawings:
• FIG. 1 is a cross section of a porous PEEK material in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 2 is a detailed cross section of the porous PEEK material inFIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process to fabricate a porous PEEK material in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;
• FIGS. 4A and 4B are side cross sectional views of a direct compression moulding setup in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 5 is a graph of the pressure and temperature versus time of a process to fabricate a porous PEEK material in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 6 is a cross section of a machined porous PEEK material in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and
• FIG. 7 is a cross section of two porous PEEK materials fabricated using both coarse and fine particulate.
DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
• The present invention is illustrated in further details by the following non-limiting examples.
• Referring toFIG. 1, a porous PEEK material, generally referred to using thenumeral10, is disclosed. The porous material is comprised of aporous layer12 and may also, in a particular embodiment, comprise a nonporous layer14. The non-porous layer may be fabricated together with theporous layer12 in the same process act or may be subsequently bonded to theporous layer12. Additionally, a second porous layer may be formed in theupper surface16 of the nonporous layer14 in the same manner.
• Of note is that although the present illustrative embodiment focuses on the use of PEEK as the basic material for fabricating the porous material, other polymers such as PAEK or PEKK could also be used in a particular embodiment.
• Referring now toFIG. 2 in addition toFIG. 1, theporous layer12, is comprised of a series of interconnected pores, or channels,18 which are visible on both theside face20 andbottom face22 of theporous material10. The interconnection promotes bone in growth which, combined with the inert nature of PEEK, makes the resultant porous composite well suited for implant.
• Referring toFIG. 3, in order to fabricate the porous material, a first material, such as PEEK, in the form of flakes or powder, is mixed with a sufficient a mount of a second particulate material which is removable from the first material at a subsequent act to reveal a porous structure. Illustratively, the second material is a dissolvable material, illustratively relatively course table salt (NaCl) having a granule diameter of greater than 180 microns, preferably between about 300 and 710 microns.
• In order to ensure that the resulting material is truly porous, the amount of dissolvable material used should be sufficient to form an interconnected structure (or interconnected passageways) once the material has been removed, which will depend to some degree on the distribution of granule size as well as the relative amounts. Illustratively, 20% PEEK by weight is placed along with 80% course table salt by weight in atumbler24 and the mixture tumbled for ten (10) minutes at medium speed. Following mixing, the PEEK/salt admixture is placed in amould assembly26.
• Referring now toFIGS. 4A and 4B, themould assembly26 is illustratively comprised of apiston28 which drives a moveableupper platen30 towards a fixedlower platen32. Amould34 comprised of amould cavity36 and amould cap38 which fits snugly within themould cavity36. Controlled heating of themould cavity36 and themould cap38 is provided for example via a plurality of electrical heating elements as in40. Additionally, controlled cooling of themould cavity36 and themould cap38 is provided for example through cavities as in42 in both theupper platen30 and thelower platen32 through which a cooling fluid such as water may be circulated. Temperatures of the material within themould cavity36 are detected via thermo couples as in44 mounted proximate to the lower end of themould cavity36 and themould cavity36. Furthermore, the actual pressure applied between theplatens30,32 by thepiston28 can be detected by means of aload cell46. Provision of independent heating elements as in40 andcooling cavities42 as well as the provision of a plurality ofthermo couples44 means that theupper platen30, and thus themould cap38, can be heated and cooled independently of thelower platen32, and thus themould cavity36, which ensures accurate control of the temperature of theadmixture48 within themould34.
• Although thepiston28 is preferably driven by an electric actuator (not shown), other types of actuators, such as hydraulic or compressed air may also be suitable in certain applications. Additionally, although heating and cooling of theplatens30,32 is described as illustratively being provided by respectively electrical heating and water cooling, other means of heating and cooling the mould34 (such as Peltier effect devices or the like) may be provided for with appropriate modifications to theassembly26.
• Referring back toFIG. 3 in addition toFIG. 4A, as discussed above, the PEEK/salt admixture48 is placed in amould cavity36. Referring now toFIG. 4B, theram28 is actuated such that theupper platen30 is lowered towards thelower platen32 and themould cap38 is inserted into themould cavity36. Of note is that themould cap38 andmould cavity36 may take on any number of simple or complex forms, thereby allowing materials to be formed for subsequent machining or parts with a variety of moulded shapes.
• Referring now toFIG. 5 in addition toFIG. 4B, during the melting phase (as labelled onFIG. 5) current is applied to theelectrical heating elements40 in order to heatmould34 thus melting theadmixture48 while a constant low pressure is applied to theadmixture48 by theram28. As the melting temperature of PEEK is bout 355° C., theadmixture48 is illustratively heated to about 400° C., which is above the melting point of PEEK yet far below the melting point of salt. Additionally, a constant low pressure of about 120 psi pressure is applied to theadmixture48 by theram28. The duration of the melting phase is dependant on a number of factors including the amount ofadmixture48 within themould34 but is at least long enough to ensure that all the first material (in this case the PEEK) has melted. At the end of the melting phase theelectrical heating elements40 are deactivated and the cooling phase entered.
• Still referring toFIG. 5, during the cooling phase a high pressure of illustratively about 500 psi is applied by theram28 to theadmixture48 and water (or other cooling fluid) circulated within thecavities42 thereby cooling themould34 and theadmixture48 contained within the mould. Note that although the graph indicates that cooling of the mould is linear, other cooling, such as step wise cooling, could also be carried out.
• One advantage of heating and cooling theadmixture48 in this fashion while under pressure is that it provides for a better positioning of the molecular chains within the resultant moulded material. Indeed, no alignment of the molecular chains of the material is provoked and the resultant moulded material displays advantageous multidirectional mechanical properties. Additionally, application of pressure during heating and subsequent cooling in this fashion prevents air bubbles from forming within the molecular chains, thereby allowing relatively large porous parts, that is in excess of one (1) inch in all dimensions, to be formed.
• Once theadmixture48 has adequately solidified, theram28 is actuated to retract themould cap38 from themould cavity36 thereby allowing the mouldedadmixture48 to be removed from themould cavity36.
• The solidifiedmoulded admixture48 is subsequently placed in anultrasonic bath28 containing heated distilled water. Illustratively, the water is heated to 100° C. The solidified mouldedadmixture48 is soaked in the bath until the salt has been dissolved from the part, thereby revealing the interconnected pores, illustratively for 16 hours. The porous part is then removed from thebath28 and allowed to dry, illustratively for 24 hours.
• In order to improve the strength of the yielded porous part annealing techniques can be used. Typically, the annealing techniques used are supplied by the manufacturer of the raw materials. In the present illustrative embodiment, the porous parts were placed in an annealing oven and allowed to dry for a minimum of three (3) hours at 150° C. The parts were then subject to heat increasing at a rate of 10° C. per hour until a temperature of 250° C. was reached. The parts were held at this temperature for an amount of time dependant on the thickness of the part, but at least four (4) hours. The parts were then cooled at a rate of −10° C. per hour until 140° C. is reached, at which point the annealing oven was turned off and the part allowed to return to room temperature.
• The resultant porous PEEK material is suitable for implant, with the interconnected pores promoting bone in growth. Additionally, PEEK lends itself well to machining allowing porous PEEK parts such as those fabricated according to the present invention to be shaped using a variety of cutting tools. Referring toFIG. 6, an example ofporous PEEK material10 with a serrated edge50 (also known as Spine Cage Teeth) machined therein and suitable, for example, for orthopaedic implant is shown.
• Additionally, referring toFIG. 7, by using a coarser or finer second particulate material,porous PEEK material10 having larger pores as in52 or smaller pores as in54 may be achieved.
• A series of five (5) test parts were fabricated using an admixture of PEEK and salt and according to the above process. The test parts where all of cylindrical shape and having the following dimensions:

• 	Diameter	0.400 inch
  	Height	0.460 inch
  	Surface Area	0.126 inch2

• Additionally, the average size of the salt grains was varied in order to yield parts having different typical pore sizes. The test parts were subject to a compression test on a conventional compression testing machine. The tests each comprised placing a part between upper and lower plates and subjecting the part to an increasing pressure until it collapsed. The results of this analysis are tabled below in TABLE 1.

• TABLE 1
  Sample	Porosity (%	Pore diameter	Maximum Sustainable
  #	by volume)	(microns)	Pressure (MPa)

  1	70	300 to 410	17.68
  2	70	410 to 500	18.27
  3	70	500 to 710	21.7
  4	60	300 to 410	40.59
  5	80	300 to 410	7.77

• In general, and as would be expected, it can be said that as % porosity by weight increases, overall strength is reduced. Additionally, referring to samples 1 through 3 it is apparent that an increased typical pore size leads to a material which is more able to withstand pressure. For example, in order for a part to be suitable for implant in the vertebral column it must be able to withstand pressures of at least 20 Megapascals (Mpa), which is achieved by samples 3 and 4 but not samples 1, 2 and 5.
• In an alternative embodiment pure PEEK can be placed in the bottom of the mould, or on top of the PEEK/salt admixture, in order to form a solid PEEK/porous PEEK composite. The solid layer acts as a barrier between the porous layer and other parts and may be used, for example, to limit bone in growth into the resultant moulded part. Additionally, as discussed above PEEK lends itself well to machining, and as a result the solid layer can be machined, for example for interconnection with other parts fabricated from PEEK or other materials, such as titanium, tantalum or the like. Alternatively, other PEEK composite materials such as PEEK reinforced with carbon (e.g. PEEK carbon prepreg or pre-impregnated fibres) or other fibres can be moulded together with the PEEK/salt admixture to provide composite structures having a variety of different characteristics in terms of strength, stiffness, flexibility and the like, thereby making the resultant composite suitable for a wide variety of applications.
• Additionally, a multilayered solid/porous composite can be formed by alternating layers of PEEK or PEEK composites and Peek/salt mixture.
• In another alternative illustrative embodiment the method of the present invention can be applied more generally using materials other than PEEK and table salt. Indeed, as will now be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, the present invention can be applied to virtually any first material which is in a liquid or fluid form at a temperature below the melting point of the second particulate material and which is subsequently able to harden to form a solid composite. Of course, the second particulate material must also be able to be removed from the solid composite to leave the porous structure of the hardened first material.
• In still another alternative illustrative embodiment the method of the present invention can be applied more generally to a first material in a liquid form at room temperature, such as an epoxy or other polymer, which subsequently hardens following mixing with a second solid particulate material through the introduction of a catalyst hardener or the like. A similar result can be arrived at with first materials which may be heat set, or cured, through the application of heat and pressure.
• The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims (11)

1. A composite structure comprising:

a first porous portion comprising a plurality of interconnected pores;

a second solid portion having a first surface, said first surface secured to said first portion;

wherein said first and second portions are fabricated from a polymer material.

2. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein said composite material is suitable for implantation and said first portion is fabricated from a first biocompatible polymer and said second portion is fabricated from a second biocompatible polymer.

3. The structure ofclaim 2, wherein said first biocompatible polymer is PEEK.

4. The structure ofclaim 2, wherein said second biocompatible polymer is PEEK Carbon Prepreg.

5. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein said composite material is suitable for implantation and said first portion and said second portion are both fabricated from a biocompatible polymer.

6. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein said second solid portion has a second surface and further comprising a second porous portion secured to said second surface.

7. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein said second solid portion is fabricated from a material the same as said first and second portions.

8. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein said first porous portion has a porosity of between 50% and 85% by volume.

9. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein said interconnected pores have a diameter of between about 300 and about 710 microns.

10. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein said structure is able to withstand pressures of greater than about 20 MPa.

11. The structure ofclaim 1, wherein said structure has a thickness of greater than one (1) inch in any dimension.

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