Electric field-assisted formation of organically modified hydroxyapatite (ormoHAP) spheres in carboxymethylated gelatin gels

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

A biomimetic strategy was developed in order to prepare organically modified hydroxyapatite (ormoHAP) with spherical shape. The technical approach is based on electric field-assisted migration of calcium ions and phosphate ions into a hydrogel composed of carboxymethylated gelatin. The electric field as well as the carboxymethylation using glucuronic acid (GlcA) significantly accelerates the mineralization process, which makes the process feasible for lab scale production of ormoHAP spheres and probably beyond. A further process was developed for gentle separation of the ormoHAP spheres from the gelatin gel without compromising the morphology of the mineral. The term ormoHAP was chosen since morphological analyses using electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and element analysis (EDX, FT-IR, XRD) confirmed that carboxymethylated gelatin molecules use to act as organic templates for the formation of nanocrystalline HAP. The hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals self-organize to form hollow spheres with diameters ranging from 100 to 500 nm. The combination of the biocompatible chemical composition and the unique structure of the nanocomposites is considered to be a useful basis for future applications in functionalized degradable biomaterials.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)135-143
Number of pages9
JournalActa Biomaterialia
Volume44
Publication statusPublished - 15 Oct 2016
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 84992154313
Mendeley eeed30ea-a041-3335-a0b4-dd3114ab81ac
PubMed 27544814

Keywords

Keywords

  • Biomaterial, Calcium phosphate, Gelatin, Hydroxyapatite