Structure and properties of titania reinforced nano-hydroxyapatite/gelatin bio-composites for bone graft materials

This work deals with the preparation of ceramic composites to be employed for the development of load bearing bone substitutes, made of inorganic minerals of needle like nano hydroxyapatite [nHAp: Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2] with bioinert titania as a reinforcing phase and gelatin as protein that mimic the natural bone exhibiting improved biomechanical features. As a monolithic, use of nHAp is limited for biomedical applications because of its inherent low fracture toughness and lack of flexibility. Hence, the incorporation of ceramics such as alumina, zirconia and titania is considered necessary to boost its mechanical properties. The composites of nHAp/TiO2/gelatin in different weight percentage were prepared by phase separation technique. The identification and morphology of chemically synthesized nHAp particles were determined by XRD, FTIR and SEM analyses. The porosity of scaffolds varied from 77% to 82%. FTIR and XRD analyses showed the presence of molecular interactions and chemical linkages between nHAp particles, titania and gelatin matrix. The compressive strength of titania reinforced nanocomposites scaffolds could be elevated up to 10.15 MPa while those of nHAp/gelatin were 4.87 MPa. These results show that newly developed nHAp/TiO2/gelatin composites may be superior for bone tissue engineering.