Air jet spinning of hydroxyapatite/poly(lactic acid) hybrid nanocomposite membrane mats for bone tissue engineering

The technique for the production of multifunctional scaffolds from bioactive ceramics and biodegradable polymers for use in tissue scaffolds remains challenging. Here, the goal was to fabricate 3D nanocomposite nanofiber scaffolds of nanohydroxyapatite/poly(lactic acid) (nHA/PLA) prepared by air jet spinning (AJS) as a novel and facile composite fabrication process. The characteristics of the fabricated 3D scaffolds were investigated using SEM, water contact angle, DSC, FTIR, XRD analyses and tensile tests. The surface morphology exhibited highly interconnected bonded fibers due to the high fabrication rates. It was also found that the nHA particles were effectively embedded in the fibers’ surface due to the difference in the kinetic energies between the nHA particles and polymer molecules. The as-received PLA film showed a low crystallinity value of about 19%, which was expected with the casting process. The crystallinities of the plain PLA and nHA/PLA membrane scaffolds were about 31.78% and 32.21%, respectively. This reveals that HA nanoparticles could engage in a beneficial interaction with the PLA chain molecules during the AJS process. The tensile strength of the membrane PLA mats, particularly the hybrid nanocomposite samples with low nHA contents, was considerably improved compared to that of the PLA casted film. Biological in vitro cell cultures of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells on the fabricated scaffolds were studied for up to seven days. The nanocomposite membrane mats of nHA/PLA, fabricated by AJS, had highly interconnected fibers. This facile technique has a high production rate and is a new concept of potential interest for bone tissue engineering applications.