Nanohydroxyapatite-chitosan-gelatin polyelectrolyte complex with enhanced mechanical and bioactivity

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is a key biomaterial for bone regeneration.
• Chitosan and gelatin are biocompatible polymers with potential in tissue engineering.
• Developing novel HAp-based nanocomposites is crucial for advanced biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize hydroxyapatite-chitosan-gelatin (HAp-CG) nanocomposites.
• To investigate the effect of varying chitosan-gelatin ratios on the structural and mechanical properties.
• To evaluate the bioresorbability and microhardness of the synthesized nanocomposites.

Main Methods:

• Wet chemical synthesis of HAp-chitosan-gelatin nanocomposites.
• X-ray Diffraction (XRD) for crystallographic analysis.
• Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for chemical bonding.
• Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) for morphology.
• Bioresorbability and microhardness testing.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of HAp-chitosan-gelatin nanocomposites confirmed by XRD and FTIR.
• Decreased crystallite size observed with increased gelatin content.
• Nanocomposites exhibited short nanorod-like morphology.
• Enhanced bioresorbability and microhardness compared to pure HAp.

Conclusions:

• The composition of HAp-chitosan-gelatin nanocomposites significantly influences their properties.
• Tuning the chitosan-gelatin ratio allows control over particle size, morphology, bioresorbability, and hardness.
• These findings suggest potential for tailored HAp-CG nanocomposites in biomedical applications.