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Rapid Mix Preparation of Bioinspired Nanoscale Hydroxyapatite for Biomedical Applications
Published on: February 23, 2017
Bioinspired Mineralization with Hydroxyapatite and Hierarchical Naturally Aligned Nanofibrillar Cellulose
Yipin Qi1, Zheng Cheng2, Zhou Ye
1Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Stomatology , Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou 510000 , China.
Abstract:
We used cellulose and a nonclassical mineralization process to fabricate a bioinspired nanohybrid material that exhibited structural features and properties similar to those of human hard tissues. We made a hydrogel with highly compacted and aligned cellulose nanofibers. We thoroughly mineralized the cellulose hydrogel with hydroxyapatite nanocrystals, using poly(acrylic acid) as a soluble template for precursor minerals, which infiltrated the nanocompartments of the aligned cellulose nanofiber network. The ultrastructure and mechanical properties of the mineralized gels were strikingly similar to those of bone and dentin, which supports further use of cellulose-based fibrillary materials as affordable, biocompatible scaffolds for repair and regeneration of hard tissues. The versatility of the bioinspired mineralization processes used here can broaden the applications of these cellulosic nanohybrids.
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