Composite Biomaterials

Composites are those materials that contain two or more distinct constituent phases, on a scale larger than the atomic. The term ‘biocomposites’ specially refers to those composites that can be employed in bioengineering. The constituents retain their identities in the composite. Namely, they do not dissolve or otherwise merge completely into each other although they act in concert. Normally, the constituent components can be physically identified and exhibit an interface between one another. In composites, properties such as the elastic modulus can be significantly different from those of the constituents alone but are considerably altered by the constituent structures and contents. From a structural point of view, composites are anisotropic in nature. Their mechanical properties are different in different directions. Most of the living tissues such as bone, dentin, collagen, cartilage, and skin are essentially composites. Synthetic composites are essentially a combination of two constituent phases, i.e. a reinforcing phase such as fiber or particle and a continuous phase called matrix.