Preparation and microstructure analysis of chitosan/hydroxyapatite nanocomposites

Chitosan/hydroxyapatite (HAp) composites with a homogeneous nanostructure have been prepared by a co-precipitation method. According to TEM observations, HAp crystallites in the composites formed elliptic aggregations 230 nm in length and 50 nm in width. The typical length of the aggregations corresponded approximately to that of a chitosan molecule. The size of the constituent HAp crystallites was found to be predominantly 30 nm in length and 10 nm in width, and the c-axes were well aligned in parallel with the chitosan molecules in the respective aggregations. The growth of the HAp crystallites is considered to occur at nucleation sites, most probably forming the complexes with amino groups on chitosan with calcium ions. The compact composites obtained have been found to be mechanically flexible, and this flexibility has been improved further by heating at 120 degrees C for 20 min in an autoclave with saturated steam pressure.