Composite Mineral–Polymer Materials with Cation-Substituted Calcium Phosphates

— Powders of copper-, zinc-, manganese-substituted tricalcium phosphates (TCP) are synthesized; the composition and structure of the obtained compounds are studied. It is shown how copper, zinc, and manganese ions affect the phase composition and microstructure of substituted TCP powders. Composite materials based on a blend of polyvinylpyrrolidone with alginate (PVP:ALG) containing copper-, zinc-, and manganese-substituted TCP have been obtained. The thermal stability and mechanical strength of composite films crosslinked with polyvalent metal ions have been studied. The least strong, but at the same time more thermally stable, are composites crosslinked with alkaline earth metal ions. The test for cytotoxicity of extracts of the substituted TCP powders and composites has shown that the powders and composite materials with them are nontoxic and biocompatible. The study of the antibacterial activity of the materials against the Escherichia coli C600 strain has demonstrated that the growth of bacteria was inhibited by the samples co-ntaining copper-TCP and zinc-TCP. The composite with manganese-TCP showed no activity against Escherichia coli C600 . The composites based on the PVP:ALG blend with copper- and zinc-substituted TCP can be considered as materials with an antibacterial effect to be used in medicine.