Bioactivity Properties of Hydroxyalpatite/clay Nanocomposites

Abstract

Abstract The need for bioactive and non-toxic biomaterials is on a high demand in tissue engineering applications nowadays. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is the chief constituent of teeth and bones in mammas. In this study, HAp and HAp/clay nanocomposites were developed via wet chemical process to mimic natural HAp and to equally confer special properties such as mechanical properties, high surface area, crystallinity, high porosity, and biocompatibility on the biomaterial. The properties of the as-prepared nanocomposites analyzed by FT-IR showed functional groups of HAp and clay such as Al–Al–OH, Si–Si–OH, Si–O, PO43-, -OH, and Si–O–Al. The XRD results confirmed the formation of HAp/clay nanocomposite. SEM and TEM images showed the morphologies of the prepared nanocomposites to be round shape particles. Besides, EDX result revealed the Ca/P ratio of HAp and HAp-C to be lower than that of stoichiometric ratio (1.67) which implies the presence of K, Na, Ca, Mg, Si and Al in the HAp/clay nanocomposite. The mechanical properties of the apatite were greatly enhanced by the addition of clay. Furthermore, proliferation of apatites particles onto the surface of the nanocomposites was observed after treatment with simulated body fluids (SBF) media for seven days. Thus, HAp/clay nanocomposites can be useful biomaterials in bone tissue engineering.