Preparation and Thermo-Mechanical Characterization of Hydroxyapatite / Bacterial Cellulose Nanocomposites

Hydroxyapatite/bacterial cellulose (HAp/BC) nanocomposites, which mimic the composition of natural bone, were prepared via a biomimetic route. In this study, thermal analysis of these HAp/BC nanocomposites was conducted to investigate the compositions, thermal stability, and thermo-mechanical behaviors of HAp/BC nanocomposites, using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). TGA results reveal that the composition of these nanocomposites is similar to natural bone and their thermal stability is improved in the presence of hydroxyapatite. Discrepancy of thermal behaviors between BC and HAp/BC nanocomposites is also observed from DSC results. The glass transition temperature, obtained from the DMA curves of the nanocomposites is increased by the incorporation of hydroxyapatite.