Biomimetic mineralization synthesis of hydroxyapatite bacterial cellulose nanocomposites

Hydroxyapatite (HAp)/bacterial cellulose (BC) nanocomposites were prepared by an optimal biomimetic mineralization synthesis approach for bone tissue engineering application. BC with ultrafine three dimensional network was negatively charged by the adsorption of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to initiate the nucleation of HAp. The HAp was grown in vitro along the nanofiber network of BC via dynamic simulated body fluid (SBF) treatment. It was found that rod-like HAp particles in the nano-scale (100–200 nm) homogeneously deposited on the surface of PVP-BC. ATR-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) results showed that carbonate-containing HAp crystals resembling natural bones were formed by biomimetic mineralization method. Moreover, the amount of HAp observed increased with increasing mineralization time. And the Ca/P overall ratio ranged from 1.37 to 1.59. The results from Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) indicated that PVP treatment enhanced the apatite nucleation ability of BC with higher HAp deposit amount.