Structural and biological evaluation of Ce and Fe doped hydroxyapatite reinforced PLA films for futuristic...

Bioactive strength is crucial for load-bearing biomaterials. Although hydroxyapatite is highly biocompatible, it has brittleness and a lack of dual-ion substitution in polymeric scaffold studies. In this work, Ce/Fe doped HAP was synthesized by chemical precipitation and solvent cast onto PLA films. Phase-pure HAP with no secondary phases and a crystallite size decrease from 2.58-0.85 nm following doping was confirmed by XRD. Its structural integrity was confirmed by FTIR, which showed the distinctive phosphate and hydroxyl bands 550-627, 964.7, 1026, 3441 and 650 cm^-1. While EDAX confirmed the distribution of Ca, P, Ce and Fe with Ca/P ratios between 1.64 and 1.67. SEM showed homogeneous morphology. Nanorod structures measuring roughly 50-100 nm in length and 15-20 nm in width were revealed by TEM investigation. Enhanced surface reactivity was indicated by a rise in BET surface area from 89.17-105.82 m²/g and pore-volume from 0.411-0.499 cm³/g. Rapid apatite-nucleation and thick Ca/P-rich layer development were encouraged by in vitro bioactivity in SBF. Because enhanced dispersion stability and decreased particle agglomeration promote cellular interaction and lessen harmful effects, DLS analysis revealed nanosized with stable zeta potential, which correlates with the reported MG-63 cell viability reaching 84%. Excellent hemocompatibility was demonstrated by the fabricated dual ion doped HAP/PLA composite. Microhardness improved by almost 85%, rising from 73 H_V to 135 H_V. Ce/Fe doped HAP sample possess superior anti-microbial efficiency against both gram (+)'ve and gram (-)'ve strains. These findings demonstrate the complementary effects of polymer reinforcement and dual-ion doping, suggesting great promise for Osteo-regenerative applications.