Nucleation of biomimetic hydroxyapatite

Introduction. The aim of the study was to assess the formation of biomimetic calcium hydroxyapatite (HAP) on the surface of different substrates. Material and Methods. Silica coated stainless steel tapes and thin polymer films (alginate, cellulose, poly lactide-co-glycolide - PLGA) deposited on hydroxyapatite scaffold were used as substrate. Supersaturated simulated body fluid (SBF) and SBF combined with Fetal Calf Serum (FCS) or Eagle’s Minimum Essential Medium (EMEM) were used as bioactive liquid medium where biomimetic nucleation of HAP occurred. Infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transformation was used to analyze the formed phases, while scanning electron microscopy indicated the morphology of nucleated phase. Results. The results of measuring the mass with volume adjustments done by the BET method showed that the thickness of the film of nucleated calcium hydroxyapatite depended on the time that samples spent soaked in SBF-in as well as the type of selected biomimetic medium. Conclusion. Biomimetic calcium hydroxyapatite is possible to produce by self nucleation on different substrates in the presence of simulating body fluid.